


Blood Runs Thick (But We're Thicker Than That)

by Turntechgodliness (AmberzillaRex)



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Carlos-centric, Child Abuse, Dealing with abuse because Disney can not, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Illness does not define you Carlos, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Psychological Trauma, Sexual Abuse, This is not a pretty story guys, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-01-01 03:17:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 24
Words: 70,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12147471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberzillaRex/pseuds/Turntechgodliness
Summary: Auradon had always seemed like a dream, far away and so much brighter than anything he’d ever seen on the Isle of the Lost, so much cleaner and purer and simply better than what he had. Now- three weeks after the debacle with Uma- he couldn’t shake the feeling that even if they had left the Isle, left their parents death tight grips and unholy expectations, they would never truly be free.Carlos de Vil knew that his mother's evil was borne from her own mind, her illness clawing it's way into his nightmares of becoming her, of how the Isle could have turned him into her. He vows that his cousin, Diego, is not going to inherit his mothers legacy- He will get Diego off the Isle.Or die trying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is a far cry from my usual work, I know, but I've recently fallen into the trap that is Descendants/ Isle of the Lost and I just couldn't help myself. I've been sucked in. 
> 
> This story is going to have some pretty dark things happen in it. PLEASE heed the warnings, I will post chapter specific warnings for each thing that could trigger someone but I might miss one so please please please read the warnings. 
> 
> Chapter Warning for Chapter one: Panic attacks and discussion of mental illness

Auradon had always seemed like a dream, far away and so much brighter than anything he’d ever seen on the Isle of the Lost, so much cleaner and purer and simply better than what he had. Now- three weeks after the debacle with Uma- he couldn’t shake the feeling that even if they had left the Isle, left their parents death tight grips and unholy expectations, they would never truly be free. Mal still sometimes felt the pull of doing the wrong thing, still felt that she had to live up to expectations beyond her capabilities. Evie still pushed herself to be the fairest, still had days where she couldn’t look in the mirror for fear of hearing her mother’s voice pointing out her every flaw. Jay still had a hard time controlling his sticky fingers, still cased every room they entered even if he had no intentions of stealing anything. And Carlos himself still jumped at little things, still felt a wave of unadulterated fear roll through him whenever someone raised their voice unexpectedly. 

Someone had whispered, when they’d first arrived from the Isle, that you could take the kids out of the Isle but you couldn’t take Isle out of the kids, and Carlos couldn’t help but wonder at the truth of the words.

It was late; Jay had spent extra time in the amphitheater practicing Swords and Shields plays in preparation for the semi-finals, unwilling to let Lonnie down now that he had given her the title of Captain; Carlos had insisted that he help him, stating that his duty as best friend listed ‘sparring buddy’ right along side ‘causing mischief’. They’d returned to their dorm room just at the edge of curfew, unwilling to irk Fairy Godmother any more than they usually did by being out later than allowed, and Jay had offered him the shower first. Carlos had slipped into the bathroom, pajamas clutched to his chest to drop onto the counter before stripping off his t shirt, dropping it in the laundry basket wedged between the counter and the toilet. He paused as he caught sight of his stomach, flat and freckled and littered with scars. Slim fingers pressed along the most prominent of his morbid collection, wincing at the memory that the numbed sensation pulled from him. Too many nights had been spent nursing wounds such as the one that had left the marking, too many nights spent in fear that his mother would finish the job while he drifted off to sleep. He took a steadying breath, turning from the mirror to finish undressing, moving to turn on the shower to warm up the water. 

And that had been a pleasant surprise the first time he had turned on the bathroom tap. Heated, clean water, as much as he liked, any time he liked. The Isle had plumbing, of course- King Beast had given them that much, along with basic electricity and the scraps of whatever Auradians felt they no longer had a use for- but the sewer system had no place to go due to the barrier, backing up into their water supplies and causing all their water to be a murky, muddy brown that had to be boiled before any use. Back, before he had met Evie and been taken under Jay and Mal’s protection, Carlos had started to put together designs to make a water filtration system; three years into the project, the then ten year old had given up due to being unable to have access to any of the equipment he would need to do so. Yen Sid had been impressed with the blueprints he had shown him, and Carlos often wondered if the old magician had been the one to suggest that he be taken off the Isle at Ben’s proclamation. Stepping into the now steaming shower, Carlos let out a relieved sigh as the hot water hit his sore shoulders, turning his back into the water stream as he tried to exhale the stress of the day. Classes were easy enough for him, the subjects an interesting change from the lessons taught at Dragon Hall, but there was always that chance that he wouldn’t be proven good enough and he had taken it upon himself to learn as much as possible of the new world Auradon opened up to him before the possibility of his potential future was taken from him like everything else in his life. And it could; there was nothing saying that Ben couldn’t change his mind. That the people of Auradon wouldn’t demand they be sent back, that he be sent back. The others had captured the hearts of the people in their own ways- Jay’s Tourney skills, Evie’s clothing designs and Mal’s relationship with Ben gave them worth, in the eyes of the princes and princesses around them, but Carlos had nothing to offer to the masses, nothing that had made him stand out on his own. They could send him back alone and no one would even notice, he imagined. He’d be sent back to his mother, who would...

Inhaling deeply, he shifted to press his forehead against the wall of the shower, cool tile slippery under the water dripping from his hair as he tried to steady himself. He could feel the tight, clawing feeling building in his chest that usually preceded a panic attack, the sticky heat at the base of his spine threading it’s way up into his ribs and through his chest as his breathing caught in his lungs as though his mother’s thin, spindle sharp fingers had wrapped around them and squeezed. The water helped, minor-ly, and he reached to grasp the shower tap as his breathing became more stuttered, more thick and difficult to draw in. He was suffocating, he had to be- he’d never had an attack so bad, not since coming to Auradon, not even before. His fingers slipped on the slick surface of the tap, and he felt himself waver as he tried to remember what Jay always told him to do when the rushing tide of anxiety and fear swept over him, threatening to take him under and wash him out into nothingness.

Jay. Jay was just outside, just beyond the closed door and the shower curtain, and he could help. He could fix the spotted darkness creeping into his vision and the overwhelming crushing pressure that was pressing him down. 

“Jay!” His voice was cracked, wet and dry and every contradiction that swirled inside of him, too loud and not loud enough even as he attempted to pull the curtain from blocking his exit, his vision swimming as he tripped over the lip of the tub to crumble to the floor, the dull thud of his impact with muffled in his own ears. He curled into himself, trying to remember how to breath as everything pressed in on him, before suddenly warm hands pressed to his back. 

“Carlos. Carlos, it’s okay, I’m here.” Jay’s voice helped, drawing some of the darkness away as he struggled to turn his eyes to his friend whose soft smile barely covered the look of concern hidden just under the surface as he wrapped a towel around Carlos. Strong arms wrapped around him, lifting him off the floor to carry him into the bedroom and deposit him gently onto on of the beds (Jays, his mind caught, Jay’s bed was closest and softer than his own, the ex-thief preferring to sink into the mattress in the familiar way his body has sunk into the pile of rugs that had served as his bed back on the Isle) before disappearing again. Distantly he heard the water in the bathroom shut off before Jay’s presence returned, slipping onto the bed beside him to wrap a blanket around his still damp body over the towel before pulling him close. “Deep, slow breaths C, c’mon. I know you can do it.” Jay’s voice was soft, quiet in the night in a way that wrapped around Carlos and soothed the tightness in his chest a fraction more. Following his instructions, Carlos tried his best to draw in a slow, deep breath; the air caught in his throat, thick in a way air shouldn’t be, and he panicked further with a hiccuping sob. He was going to die, he was going to suffocate and Jay wouldn’t be able to help.

“Carlos, hey. Hey, here, feel me, feel me breathing and follow what I do okay?” Jay’s voice remained calm as he pulled him closer, flush enough to follow the exaggerated rise and fall of the older teen’s chest. Carlos struggled to follow along, pushing air from his lungs even as the urge to draw more in as fast as possible washed over him. It was like drowning, but in reverse; his lungs loosened with each breath, his chest and throat opening up to take in the air as the trickle of heat at his spine receded slowly. Jay’s words trailed into soft, soothing noises, calloused fingers rubbing along his chest in an attempt to urge each breath in deeper than the one before as his body relaxed slowly into the warmth of his friend’s body. Several moments passed, and when he no longer felt as though he was at risk of washing away into the roiling darkness that had previously threatened to take him under, he shifted to wrap ice cold fingers around Jay’s own, not pressing hard enough to stop the older boy’s movements but enough to let him know he was calming down. 

“Thanks, Jay.” His voice sounded harsh even to his own ears, as cracked and reed thin as he felt his own skin to be, and he swallowed noisily as Jay pulled him closer still, burying his nose at the base of Carlos’ neck to breath softly against the freckled skin there.

“What caused it?” Jay’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, and Carlos let out a shaky breath as he thought back to what had triggered the attack. 

“I don’t want to go back to her, Jay. I’d rather die than go back to her.” Jay’s arms tightened around him, and he curled his fingers, his nails biting into the soft skin of Jay’s hand. 

“You’re not going anywhere, Carlos. You’re here in Auradan, you’re safe here. No one is making you go anywhere, dude, I promise.” He let the words sink in, his breathing finally coming under his control as he let his eyes close. 

“I’m just here, and everyone’s going to realize that I’m not good. I’m not good at doing this, Jay, I can’t.” He couldn’t hold on to the feeling of goodness like the others seemed to, couldn’t stop comparing himself to the others around him and finding himself wanting. There was a huff from behind him, and he found himself suddenly shifted to lay chest to chest with his friend, the older teen giving him a warm smile. 

“Dude. You’re the goodest person I know. Uh. Most good? Best. You’re good, Carlos. Trust me.” Rough hands rubbed along his back, their warmth spreading along his spine as he swallowed around the thickness in his throat at Jay’s words. 

“I’m not.” He whispered, fingers curling into the material of Jay’s shirt, tight enough to cause his knuckles to whiten against the dark fabric. “I’m broken, Jay, more broken than you guys. I can’t do this any more. It’s so hard, I keep hearing her every day. I can feel her, like she’s crawled under my skin and is prying me apart from the inside. I keep thinking none of this is real.” Jay’s smile slipped into a frown as Carlos continued to speak. “Like I’m going to wake up and look in the mirror and not recognize myself. That I’m going to wake up one day and be just like her.” 

“Carlos. You’re the furthest thing from Cruella. Look at me.” Carlos let his eyes meet Jay’s, blinking owlishly as Jay pressed their foreheads together. “You are a good person. You’ve always been a good person. You’re the one who helped Evie out, when she first came back from exile, right? And you were the one who Dude chose, yeah? You are never going to become her. Never. Okay?” Carlos gave a shallow nod, and Jay tightened his arms around him slightly. 

“Genetically speaking, I’m on a high risk end of mental illness, Jay. I’ve...Auradon has so many books on our parents. On my mother. On her illnesses. On why she’s the way she is, what caused her to want to steal and skin over a hundred innocent animals, animals that were people’s pets. And do you know what those books say?” Jay shook his head, frown deepening as his brow furrowed. “They say that your dad, Evie’s mom, even Maleficent were brought into their evil ways due to nurture, how they were raised or circumstances outside of themselves, situational evil that they let shape them...But Cruella? My mom would have gone crazy regardless. Genetically she was set up for mental illness and then no one helped her. Genetically speaking I could become just like her, Jay. Histrionic personality disorder? That’s what they call it, her being the way she is, how everything is about her, everything needs to be her, her, always her. And it doesn’t set in until early adulthood. What if I become that?” His cheeks flushed, eyes squeezing shut as his fingers tightened in Jay’s shirt. “What if I can’t stop it from happening?” There was a long moment of silence between them, Dude’s soft whine the only sound as the dog paced in the space between their beds, before Jay let out a small huff of breath. 

“We are not our parents, Carlos. And you...are the smartest person I know. And I know you pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. So I’m gunna make you a pact, right here, alright?” Carlos nodded, pulling back slightly to watch Jay’s face. “If you start going crazy? I’ll tell you. I’ll do everything in my power to help you.” Carlos nodded, and Jay offered a small smile. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen, C. I really don’t think it will.” Squeezing his arms against, he shifted to pull the younger teen on top of him, and Carlos rested his cheek on Jay’s chest, letting the slow rise and fall of his friends chest lull him to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

“Guys, you’re going to be late if you don-” Mal’s words cut off as she pushed open the door to Jay and Carlos’ dorm room, taking in the pristine state of Carlos’ bed and the large, unmoving lump in the blankets of Jay’s as she stepped into the room, Evie peering in behind her as she approached the bed. Jay’s face was pressed into his pillow, his body curled around Carlos as the two teens slept. Dude had curled up at their feet, tucked into a corner of the bed and barely taking notice of the two girls as they fixed each other with a confused look. 

“Something must have happened last night.” Evie stated, voice soft as she shifted to tug the blanket up from where it had slipped low on Carlos’ naked back. The bathroom light was on, and Mal moved to turn it off before returning to Evie’s side, brow furrowed as she watched the two boys. 

“Panic attack, you think?” She asked, words barely above a whisper in case she woke one of the two still sleeping. Evie shrugged, moving to Jay’s side of the bed to gently shake his shoulder. 

“Jay? Wake up, it’s almost time to go down for breakfast.” Jay grumbled, pressing his face further into the pillow, before slowly coming awake. 

“What?” His words were slightly muffled, and he turned slightly to squint at the girl leaning over him as she offered a gentle smile. 

“It’s almost seven. Did something happen last night?” Jay frowned, noting the body pressed against him, and let out a soft groan as he realized the two had fallen asleep the previous night once Carlos had calmed down. 

“Panic attack. It wasn’t a super bad one, but it was still…” he trailed off, shifting to sit up some as he watched Carlos move against him, his nose twitching in his sleep. He knew the younger teen wouldn’t awaken- Carlos slept heavy once the panic subsided, his body too overwhelmed to do anything but pass out once the adrenaline passed through his system. He gently shook him, keeping an eye out for any sudden jerks that might indicate Carlos freaking out at the contact. “C, wake up. It’s almost breakfast time, there should be waffles today.” Carlos made a noise of discontentment, rolling into Jay’s warmth to press his face into Jay’s side, cold nose pressing to the warm skin just north of the older teen’s hip. 

“Don’t wanna.” He whined, pulling the blanket tight around his shoulders as a giggle slipped from Evie’s lips. Blinking owlishly at the noise, Carlos shifted to rest his cheek on Jay’s thigh, glancing from Mal to Evie before letting out a groan. “I guess I can’t just stay in bed all day?” Before, when panic attacks meant becoming an easier target for Cruella’s anger, he would force himself to push back the waves of anxiety and fear until he could hide in his tree house, sometimes for days on end, but at Auradon Prep there were little to no sick days, no way to skip out of classes without a critical eye coming down on him. 

“It’s alright if you want to stay in bed today, Carlos. I’m sure Fairy Godmother will understand if we tell her about your pani-” Evie’s words were cut off at the sharp look Carlos gave her, eyes narrowed at the suggestion. 

“It’s fine Evie. I’m fine. Just let me get dressed, okay?” Evie nodded, and Jay gestured for the girls to go wait outside of the room. Mal rolled her eyes, dropping her hands onto the other girl’s shoulders to steer her from the room as Jay moved to get up. 

“We could just tell her you’re sick if you want to stay in the room today, dude. She doesn’t need to know about what happened, but I know you never feel like doing anything the day after…” Carlos waved his hand as he slipped from the bed, stretching before making his way to his dresser. Jay’s eyes glanced over the slim lines of his back, tracking the familiar scars before narrowing as he spotted new bruises along his spine. “Dude, did you get into a fight?” Carlos raised a brow as he glanced over his shoulder, reaching to pull a shirt from the top drawer. 

“What? No. When have I ever gotten into a fight, have you met me?” Jay fixed him with an incredulous look, well aware of exactly how many fights the younger teen got into on the Isle when people would underestimate him due to his size, and Carlos huffed as he pulled on a pair of boxers while draping the shirt and a pair of shorts over his shoulder. “Stop looking at me like that, Jay. No, I didn’t get into a fight. Something startled me and I backed too hard into my locker is all.” Jay squinted at him momentarily, trying to judge if he was hiding the truth, before nodding slowly, moving to get his own clothing. 

“Alright. Did you hurt yourself last night in the bathroom?” He had heard the thud when Carlos had presumably fallen to the floor in his attempt to get out of the shower, and it had sounded painful even out in the bedroom through the closed door. Carlos tugged on his shorts with a shrug, rubbing his knee slightly before turning to Jay, eyes following the older teens movements as he pulled on his own clothes.

“My knees are pretty sore, but I’m okay. Seriously, I’m fine Jay.” Jay nodded as he grabbed his beanie, and Carlos pulled on his shirt before following Jay out of their room to stand with the girls. Mal’s eyes immediately glanced him over, and he offered her a small smile as Evie slipped an arm through his, tugging him a bit closer to her with a wide grin. 

“Doug and Ben are meeting us in the cafeteria, and Lonnie said to swing by her room on our way down so we could grab her.” Her voice lowered some as she leant into Carlos’ personal space. “Do you want to talk about anything?” Shaking his head, Carlos pat her hand gently with what he hoped was a soothing smile. 

“No, it’s okay E. Jay was there last night, it wasn’t that bad I promise.” Evie nodded slowly, and the foursome began their trek down to the girls floor. 

“So.” Mal cleared her throat, eyes fixed in front of her as they walked. “Ben’s told me that the Council has brought it to his attention that while we have proven ourselves while in Auradon, there are still Council members who aren’t 100% convinced we aren’t like...just waiting do to bad.” The trio frowned at her words, and she ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed. “I can only imagine that my little...hissy fit three weeks ago didn’t really help. Ben says there’s talk of some sort of test, something to prove that we won’t just turn on all of Auradon suddenly.” Carlos’ steps stuttered as her words hit him- did the Council expect them to turn on them like some sort of...some sort of wild animal? Did they expect that of all of them, or just a few of them? His mother had always compared him to a wild dog, after all, perhaps the Council felt the same way...

“Carlos. Carlos! Come on back, hey, come on.” Evie’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he blinked at her a few times before turning his attention to Mal. 

“What sort of test?” He asked, tilting his head slightly as he tightened his arm in Evie’s. Mal shrugged as they approached Lonnie’s room, said girl smiling brightly as she waved them down. 

“No idea. Hey Lonnie, you ready for another boring day?” Mal’s attention turned to the other girl as they started towards the cafeteria, and Carlos let his mind wander at Mal’s information as they made their way into the breakfast line. Ben was always telling them that he wouldn’t send them back to the Isle; they had proven themselves twice over, and he knew they would always pick Auradon over the Isle now. But Carlos knew that the Council held more sway than the others seemed to think they did- a monarchy only grew so much without the assistance of the Council, and the advisors were all well trusted members of the kingdom. He could understand their concern, he supposed, since Mal’s little escapade had shaken the kingdom’s belief in the VK’s. He could even understand if the council held some suspicion on Mal, but the rest of them had done nothing to garner the worry. Jay was slowly becoming the star athlete of Auradon Prep, while Evie’s rise in population only grew to new levels with each committee and school team she joined. He was still a member of the Tourny team and an active participant in the Swords and Shields club, though outside of the few dates he’d had with Jane that hadn’t quite panned out in the end (He wasn’t broken, she had stated, but he wasn’t quite the prince she was, in the end, looking for. Things had ended amicably between them, and even now they still spent time together) and practices he rarely went out of his way to interact with many of the other students at the school. 

He jumped slightly, startled as a tray of food was pressed into his hands, and he looked up as Jay gave him a smirk.

“Don’t get lost in your head yet, C. Day’s only just started, yeah?” Carlos felt the blush spread warmly over his cheeks, ducking his head slightly as Jay looped an arm around his shoulder to lead him to the table the girls had already dropped their own trays onto. Carlos settled in the seat to Evie’s left as Jay slid into the spot next to him, setting his tray down and digging in. Ben and Mal sat across from them, discussing yet another event the two had to attend, while Evie cooed at Doug over his latest science experiment. He sat silently eating, smiling at Jay whenever the older teen caught his attention while explaining the hijinks the Tourny team planned for their end of the year prank to Lonnie. They hadn’t been there long, but Auradon Prep felt more like home, more like a family than Carlos had ever known. Even though the bullying that had taken place when they’d first arrived hadn’t completely vanished, it had petered off enough that he barely noticed a harsh word here and there- the people around them were slowly accepting them for who they were, and not who they wished they’d become. 

_“Cruella de Vil, Cruella de Vil. If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will.”_

He spun in his seat, eyes wide at the sound of that song in his ears, a song he hadn’t heard since the limo had taken him far away from the woman the song was about. No one seemed to be close enough to have sung it to him, no one even seemed to be paying attention to him as he swiveled in his seat to regard those around him. No one seemed to have heard the song, the table paying more attention to the conversations between them than anything that might have been happening around them. It was sloppy, lazy- on the Isle, that sort of behavior could get you killed, but here no one seemed to notice at all when people side-stepped around them or stood too close. 

_“To see her is to take a sudden chill…”_

There it was again; the voice almost too soft to recognize, but familiar in a way that clung to him, sang of the Isle and the past. No one seemed to notice as he checked around him again, eyes narrowed as he took in every person seated around them. Audrey and Chad were seated with Jane, Freddie and Jordan discussing the decorations for the upcoming summer festival the school would be holding in the next month. To the table left of Jay, Aziz and Ally were in the middle of what he could only assume was a pre-class study cram session, textbooks spread over the table they were seated at as they quizzed each other. 

_“Cruella, Cruella de Vil.”_

Squeezing his eyes closed, he took a slow, deep breath; his mind was just playing tricks on him. As far as he knew, the jingle that Roger Radcliffe had written about his mother was banned in the school, though whether in an attempt at sensitivity towards himself or because it was a cruel thing to mock a mentally ill woman, he didn’t know. 

“Carlos.”

He knew the voice. He knew that he knew it, knew it better than he knew his own, but it was impossible. There was no possible way he was hearing the same melodic, lilting voice that had more than once soothed him through some of his darkest nights. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes, Jay’s concerned face hovering before his own as he realized he was clutching the tray in his hands hard enough to turn his knuckles bone white. 

“Carlos? What’s wrong?” Lonnie’s voice was gentle as she reached across the table to gently touch his hand, and he quickly dropped his tray and pulled his hands to his chest, eyes wide as he tried to control his breathing. 

“Hey, it’s okay, dude. Whatever it is, I got you, right?” Jay’s thumb rubbed against the fabric of his shirt, and Carlos took a deep breath, embarrassed that everyone was staring at him now. Ben cleared his throat, gesturing for the tables around them to return to what they had been doing. Carlos shot the king a grateful look before turning his attention to Jay, Evie and Mal, who had somehow managed to crowd him without him noticing. 

“I...thought I heard someone singing.” Mal’s brows furrowed, and Evie gave him a confused look as he rubbed his hands together. “I thought I heard...uh.” He hesitated; uncertain if sharing what he had thought he’d heard would make him come across as crazy. 

“What do you think you heard, Carlos?” Mal’s voice was unexpectedly gentle, and Carlos gave her a look before clearing his throat, singing softly as he picked at one of his nails. 

“Cruella de Vil, Cruella de Vil, if she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will…” The table fell silent and he pressed his lips together tightly until beside him, Jay’s voice finished the next line of the song almost too quiet to hear. “To see her is to take a sudden chill…” Carlos swallowed harshly, wrapping his arms around himself. “It sounded like Diego was singing it.” Three expressions softened from concern to almost pity, while the rest of the table remained blank at the words.

“Whose Diego, Carlos?” Doug’s question caused him to look toward the other man, and he gave him a small frown as he let his hands drop to his lap. 

“My cousin. He’s back...you know.” On the Isle, though he had been doing better than most with The Bad Apples watching his back. “I haven’t seen him since...Mal’s Howler?” He looked at Mal, whose face flushed at Carlos’ words. 

“Oh, you mean the one where Mal tried to kill me in your mother’s coat closet?” Evie asked, teasing tone evidence that there was no remaining ill will between the two girls in regards to the incident. Carlos nodded, rubbing his hands over his arms as he thought on the closet. 

“Yeah, but part of why I came to save you was because I was scared you’d bleed all over the coats if you got caught in one of the bear traps, so I wasn’t that much better than she was.” Evie’s smile softened as she leant to wrap an arm around Carlos’ shoulder, and the younger teen gave a sigh. “Anyways, that’s the last time I saw D, I think. They had that concert right before we left, but…” He hadn’t been able to go, not when Cruella had lost her mind over the thought of being without her slave. He’d locked himself in the bathroom, curled under the sink behind the pipes as his mother had wrecked the hallway outside. 

“Maybe you’re just missing him a lot, Carlos. Sometimes I think I hear my mom’s voice when I’ve had a bad day and I can’t actually talk to her.” Lonnie’s sentiment was appreciated -although Carlos didn’t want to think on what it might mean for his mental state if he was hearing his cousin’s voice- and he pushed himself away from the table, shaking his head slightly as Jay moved to follow him. 

“Maybe. I’m...not feeling so good. I’m going to head to class and see if it’s okay for me to just go to the Infirmary instead of class today. I’ll meet up with you guys later.” He could feel their eyes on him as he walked away, feel the weight of their thoughts as he slipped out of the cafeteria as he headed towards the science block. 

He hadn’t thought about Diego since they’d come to Auradon. Did that make him as bad as his mother, who had often forgotten she’d even had a child in her sudden bouts of hysteria? Diego had watched out for him, when he could. Had been the only person to talk to him, really talk to him, before Evie. How could he not have thought to ask about him, tried to find him when they’d gone back to get Mal, to rescue Ben? Before he’d met Evie and Mal and Jay had decided to be his friends instead of his tormentors, Diego had been the only good thing about that Isle. And he’d simply...forgotten all about him. 

Maybe he _was_ on his way to becoming a monster like his mother.


	3. Chapter 3

The table fell silent as Carlos disappeared out into the hall, confusion written on the faces of those not from the Isle at Carlos’ sudden departure. Jay shared a look with Mal as he settled back into his seat, a frown working it’s way across his lips as he tried to figure out what Carlos could have heard that might have sounded like his cousin. The cafeteria was filled with it’s usual early morning chatter- students preparing for tests, conversations about weekend plans or the next big event mashing together as people conversed around them. No one sounded remotely like the older de Vil teen- Diego had always had a very distinct voice, one that caused all of his songs to get stuck in your head for weeks on end with it’s sleek tones and weird mastery of being slightly off-pitch. Deeper than both Jay and Carlos’ voices, but not as deep as Jafar’s, he’d been in the delicate middle ground of a seventeen year old whose voice was bigger than they were, and Jay had always sort of hoped that someday, his own voice would settle somewhere in the same range as the musicians. 

“Jay...did anything happen last night with Carlos? He seems a little...skittish.” Ben’s voice was fraught with concern, the blond leaning towards him across the table as he slipped his hand into Mal’s. The king was perceptive, Jay couldn’t fault him on that; quick to read people and catch things, it was one of the things that Jay appreciated about the other teen. 

“He had a panic attack, yeah. He was pretty freaked out about being sent back to the Isle, saying that he was like, going to become Cruella and stuff. It was messed up, man.” Ben nodded silently, settling back in his chair as Mal gave his arm a squeeze. 

“He’s been a little off since we got back from the Isle, hasn’t he?” The king’s voice was soft, his gaze focused on the table in front of him as Evie shared a look with Mal. 

“I think going back messed him up some. I don’t think Carlos was meant for the Isle, you know?” Evie’s fingers tapped against the table as she spoke, her eyes trailing over the group as she thought on Carlos himself. “The first time I met him, he didn’t have anyone except for two guys that only hung out with him because their dads were Cruella’s henchmen. He had his tree house to hide in when Cruella got too bad, and he had Diego whenever Diego wasn’t too busy with the Bad Apples to be around, but he didn’t have anyone he spent time with because he wanted to. He didn’t have friends. He didn’t really have anything.” Mal nodded, shifting a bit closer to Ben before speaking. 

“Jay and I use to use him a lot, before we all became friends. He was quiet and easy to push around for the most part, never wanted to cause any trouble. Went to school and then went home to do whatever it was he did between chores and inventing. He did set one of the Gaston’s on fire once when we were younger, but then no one saw him for almost a month so we assumed they kicked his ass. My mother always said that even though Carlos was the smartest person on the Isle besides herself and maybe Reza, she had no interest in trying to tame him to be her minion because she figured Cruella had already broken him too much. And then he broke through the shield, and she got interested again.” Ben nodded, frowning some as he thought on her words. 

“How did he even manage to do that? He broke through Fairy Godmother’s magic shield with something he put together with trash. He shouldn’t have been able to do that.” Mal shrugged, and Ben hummed. “Cruella’s always fascinated our medical advisors; Anita Radcliffe has stated on record that she was insanely smart when they were school kids, but used that intellect to create her fur empire when her narcissism grew out of control.” Jay tapped the table to catch their attention, brow furrowed some as he thought back on Carlos’ words from the night before. 

“Histrionic personality disorder. Uh...I mean, that’s what they call it, right? That’s why Cruella treated Carlos the way that she did, at least according to C. He said he read it in a book.” Evie chewed her bottom lip, leaning back against Doug’s arm as she remembered all the times Cruella had screamed loud enough to be heard at Castle Across the Way. 

“She was scared of him.” All eyes turned to Evie, who glanced up at the looks of disbelief being sent her way. “He’s smart, and he’s actually pretty attractive when you look at him...he was a potential threat to her empire, even if it doesn't exist anymore. What’s the first thing you noticed when you first met Carlos, Jay?” Jay frowned, thinking about the first time he’d ever seen the younger man. 

“First thing I thought when he walked into Piracy 101 was no freaky mutt of Cruella’s should have lips like that.” Doug’s brow rose, and Jay flushed, reaching to rub the back of his neck. “It’s not, uh, that uncommon a thought on the Isle, alright? Just...Jafar use to say he looks like every bad guy’s wet dream, alright, like it’s creepy as fuck but that’s how people think on the Isle. He looks so sweet and you just want to break him in. They thought the same thing about Evie, but she was a lot more aggressive than Carlos was. People didn’t know what to think of her, but Carlos, dude…he talked back, sure, and if you cornered him he could turn vicious, but for the most part he’s a docile guy. And he was terrified of doing something that would make Cruella mad.” The three Islers fell into silence, thoughts back on the Isle of the Lost, before Evie cleared her throat to speak.

“The first full thought I had in regards to Carlos was that he never looked at anyone when they spoke to him. The first time I talked with him, I think he looked at me a total of three times the entire class. At first I just thought he was being bullied so much that he didn’t want to be noticed, and then when I met Cruella I thought it was because of her but...well, he still does it here, doesn’t he? It’s like if he focus’ on someone too long he gets uncomfortable. Unless it’s Jay, or Dude, or to a lesser point myself or Mal he doesn’t really want someone’s full attention.” Ben frowned, and Mal shifted slightly against him.

“My first thought was that he was annoying as shit. Always in the way, always causing shit and then Jay would go and help him without actually helping him...at the time, it was disgusting. You didn’t actually think that I wouldn’t notice, Jay. You never picked on him as harshly as everyone else. You nearly babied him when we were on the Isle of Doom...you gave him bug spray!” Jay flushed, and Mal gave him a secretive smile. “But he’s always been smart. Too smart, like...it’s scary, sometimes. He showed up in Dragon Hall one day, out of the blue, two years younger than all of us and just took to the classes like he hadn’t missed any of the years before.” Her smile fell and her voice lowered slightly. “Sometimes I think that he doesn't have a chance at not being crazy like her. My mother always said that Cruella’s downfall was that she was so smart, she didn’t believe she could fail- that a lot of very smart people lose their minds that way. But then he gets scared of becoming her and I think...well, he can’t become her if he’s so scared to, right?” The group nodded, and Lonnie cleared her throat. 

“I just thought he looked...scared. You were all so imposing and trying to be bad, but Carlos didn’t even try.” She pursed her lips, folding her hands in her lap. “But like...nightmares and panic attacks and stuff should be expected from you guys, you know. You went through a lot. You don’t just get over that.” Evie nodded, reaching to pat Lonnie’s hand with a small smile. 

“We all have nightmares sometimes. Little things can trigger any one of us, but we know social cues better than Carlos. He wasn’t always around other kids, no one even knew he existed until he was, what did you say Mal? Six? So sometimes he deals with stuff...less well than we do. Even when we were all attending Dragon Hall, he didn’t want to spend time with anyone really.” Ben nodded, rubbing his hand over his arm as he recalled the first Tourny lesson he’d had with the younger teen. 

“Dude. When he met Dude, he freaked out. I thought it was an overreaction but I now that I think about it, it makes sense.” Mal nodded, and Jay shifted to push his chair from the table. 

“I’m going to go see if C’s okay. Tell FG that we’re not feeling good or something?” Ben nodded, and Jay turned to head out of the cafeteria as the bell to head towards first class rang. 

-=-=-

The door to the infirmary was partially opened when Jay got there, the room void of people other than the body stretched out on one of the cots, face pressed into the pillow under his head. Jay couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips as he moved to sit on the edge of the cot, reaching out to lightly touch the younger teen’s back. 

“Hey, C…” Carlos made no noise to indicate he had taken notice of the other teen, though Jay could feel the tenseness that ran along his back as he gently trailed his fingers down Carlos’ spine. “Ben’s gunna ask FG to give us the day off, alright? I think you just need a nice day to settle down after all the craziness we went through.” Carlos whined, turning slightly to lay more on his side so he could look up at his friend. 

“Do you think I’m going crazy?” Jay frowned, turning to pull himself onto the cot to lay next to Carlos as he let one hand rest on the arm pressed along his thigh, the cot not quite big enough for two teens to lay in comfortably. 

“I think you’re a lot of things, C, like stressed and tired, but I don’t think you’re crazy. Or any crazier than any of the rest of us, yeah?” Carlos curled to tuck himself against Jay’s side, and Jay let an arm wrap tightly around the smaller of the two to hold him closer. It had always amazed him how quick Carlos was to accept touch from himself, when he still wouldn’t let even Mal or Evie hold onto him for more than a moment before he became physically uncomfortable and had to pull away. He knew that Carlos might never be able to have the same level of physical contact with people that the girls, or even he himself, had with others, and it made him feel almost...special that Carlos trusted him enough to touch him so easily, even after how he’d treated the other teen in their younger years. “I think you’re super smart and really fun to be around, and I think you’re sometimes really sad. And I know that when you’re happy, you light up the entire fucking room dude, like...bibbity boppity bam, instant sunshine.” Carlos snorted, and Jay grinned down at him. “And I think that if you’re really worried about it, you should talk to Doc Sweets about it. Get a real medical professional to do an evaluation, isn’t that what you always tell us? Get a professional’s opinion if you’re worried?” Though, it had usually been about things back on the Isle like sailing a ship- Harry hadn’t even realized that he’d been instrumental in Mal’s defeat of Uma during one of Hook’s random boat races when they were still on the Isle- or in reference to himself whenever one of them attempted to help Carlos with a project he was working on, not medical help. There had been no doctors on the Isle, not really; Dr. Facilier had been the closest thing, and even then it was because the bokor had been able to trick the lesser intelligent villains and minions into thinking that his remedies would work. 

“I know. I just...I’m scared.” Carlos had always been the quickest of their group to admit he was afraid of something, sometimes finding ways to put Jay between himself and the perceived threat. Truthfully, Jay preferred that to the days Carlos took any abuse hurled at him with his head down and a silent, blank look. He also knew that a few months wouldn’t erase fifteen years of constant abuse, but he’d take what he could. 

“It’s okay to be scared, dude. I get it. I don’t...really know what I can do to help but I want to. What can I do for you?” Carlos gave a low hum, curling tighter against Jay. He was silent for several minutes before he spoke cautiously, as though expecting to be punished for his words.

“I want to go back.” Jay jumped slightly at the words, shocked; out of all of them, Carlos had been the last person he’d expect to suggest returning to the Isle. He could feel the familiar tension thrumming through Carlos’ body that told he was working up to more words, and patiently waited for him to continue. “I want to find Diego, bring him back here. Or, if I can't do that, at least make sure he's still alive. “ Jay thought on Carlos’ words, considering the fact that Carlos was worried enough about his cousin to want to risk running into Cruella again. There was no way Ben would just allow them to go back to the Isle again; he’d had to sit them all down after the Uma incident to go over why they should avoid returning to the Isle from now on, and then after their talk in the cafeteria just now...it didn’t seem likely that Ben would be alright with the idea. The controller for the dome, though broken, was still on the Isle as well; making it difficult for them to return at all.

“How would we get through the dome?” The question was casually spoken, though Jay kept his attention focused on Carlos to see how quickly the younger teen answered. He wouldn’t put it past Carlos to already have a solution for that particular problem- he had broken through the barrier once already, after all. Carlos frowned, shifting slightly to pull away from Jay some as he avoided his gaze carefully. 

“I made a better version of the machine I used to break the barrier back on the Isle in Robotics three weeks ago, Jay. It’s more complicated than the controller, so not just anyone would be able to use it, but...I just wanted a safety net, you know?” He did know; he had a dozen safety nets himself, in case he ever had to go back to the Isle. 

“And how would we convince Ben we had to go back? He’s already worried about you, you know...we all are.” Carlos frowned, staring hard at Jay’s chest as he fidgeted under the older teens scrutiny. 

“He doesn’t have to know.” Jay frowned, fixing Carlos with a hard look, and Carlos quickly backtracked, eyes wide. “Or we could tell him and ask for his help, I guess, but he’s going to try to keep us from going back, Jay. I have to go find Diego.” His voice was firm, and Jay let out a low sigh as out in the hall, the bell rang for first period to begin. 

“We can’t just not tell Ben, C. You know that...right?” Carlos nodded, eyes downcast, and Jay sighed as he tugged him close again. “I know you want to go find Diego, but there’s a lot of people on the Isle right now who really don’t like us. I’m...honestly, dude, I’m surprised you want to go there at all. We could just get Ben to send someone to get D, you know that right?” Carlos nodded, the smallest movement of his head, before speaking. 

“I want to do it myself. I want...no. I need to see Cruella again. I have to prove to myself that I’m not like her. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, I’ll understand if you want to stay here and stay out of trouble. But I gotta go, Jay. I have to. And Ben’s not going to let me go back to the Isle so soon after Mal ran off, you know that. I’d rather not tell him and get him worried if I have to.” The words hung heavy between them, and the room fell into silence around them. It was several minutes before Jay cleared his throat, Carlos shifting to sit up and a bit away from him as he crossed his arms over his chest, curling into himself out of nervous habit. 

“Well...if you feel that strongly that you have to do this, you gotta do it, right? And I mean...the Brain can’t be without the Brawn, right? Of course I’m coming with you, idiot. I still think we should tell Ben and the others. Mal will be pissed if she finds out we went off without telling her anything, and Evie’s feelings will be hurt pretty bad if we leave her out...we’ll leave them a note, at least. Okay?” Carlos nodded, a shy smile gracing his lips. 

“Okay. Thank you, Jay...this means a lot to me.” Jay nodded, and both looked up as the nurse came in, her eyes narrowed a the two of them in the same bed before shooing them both out to their dorms, excused for the day


	4. Chapter 4

The thing about magic, Carlos thought as he crawled half under his bed in his attempt to grab the small locked box that held his more personal items since coming to Auradon Prep, was that most people considered it to be an entity outside of science. The only reason he had been able to break the barrier back on the Isle had been because he had looked at magic as it’s own branch of science instead of an unexplained force and had found a way to disrupt the waves of magic that created the dome around the Isle. It had been easier to recreate the project in Auradon, where almost all the equipment and materials were provided to him for little more than a please and thank you, and he had been sure to make the new device usable only to himself in case he had ever had need to return to the Isle. Behind him, Jay sat rummaging through his desk, muttering to himself as he pulled random items from its drawers to place on the table top. 

“Do you still have those smoke bombs Evie made?” Carlos glanced at the night-side table next to his bed over his shoulder, trying to remember if he had put the containers there after he had repackaged the bombs. 

“In my side table I think. Do you still have my knife?” Wiggling his way out from under his bed, he placed the box in the middle of his comforter before moving to retrieve the vials. Making his way to Jay’s desk, he placed the rolled up bundle into the ex-thief's hands, fixing him with a look. 

“Yeah, I already packed it dude. I told you I’d hang onto it for you didn’t I?” Jay looked slightly offended that Carlos would think he wouldn’t still have the heavy, thick bowie knife that the inventor had carried religiously while living on the Isle; he had asked Jay to hide the knife when they had gotten to their dorm room for the first time, worried that someone would find it during the frequent dorm sweeps that had happened when they had first arrived and trusting Jay to be able to hide it better than he could, having always hidden his textbooks and other possessions quite well back before they had been friends. 

“Just checking. You did somehow manage to lose your Tourny pads last week, so maybe you’re starting to slip.” He teased lightly, nudging Jay with his hip before turning to move to his bed. Sitting down, he pulled his lock box into his lap, twisting the dial to the combination before popping it open. It didn’t contain much; he hadn’t owned much of anything when he’d arrived in Auradon, a few articles of clothing and his design sketchbook he had stolen from his mother’s bedroom, a relic from her past that still contained several of her own ludicrously lavish clothing designs and several rambling pages of notes that he could barely decipher. The people of Auradon could say what they wanted about the woman, but even the Gaston’s had been able to tell that Cruella had been beyond talented when it came to her clothing designs. The book also held a page that Carlos held dear- the list of names Cruella must have picked out when she had found out that she was pregnant with him. There were only three names; Carlos, of course, along with Anita (and that was a kick- his mother had always held a special place in her heart for the woman whose puppies had gotten her caught, one that Carlos was occasionally jealous of. Cruella had never looked at him with the amount of love that she had the old pictures of herself and her childhood friend, and it had left a bitter taste in his mouth every time she had drunkenly called out to the woman who he had never met.) and Cyril. Truthfully, he liked Carlos best; but the list was proof that even if she never acted like it once he had been born, she had at some point cared enough about him to put thought into his name. 

“Okay first of all, I didn’t lose them, Chad snuck into our room in the middle of the night to use our 3D printer and kicked them under my bed. Totally different than losing them. And secondly, that’s rude and I’m going to have to kick your ass for insinuating I’d ever lose my touch.” Carlos beamed at him as Jay pushed his chair back, taking the barrier breaking device from the box before taking out the only remaining item, holding it up as though to ward off his friend. 

“Chad has serious personal boundary issues, and if he sneaks in here again I’m going to make a taser and I’m going to tase him. Also you can’t kick my ass, I have this.” The object in his hand was no bigger than his palm; a polished brass pill case engraved with the letters C.D.C. in a delicate script. Jay’s expression softened, and he moved to sit on Carlos’ bed next to him, reaching to gently take the container from his friends hand to rub his fingers over the worn inscription. 

“I wouldn’t really kick your ass, man, you know that.” Carlos chuckled, watching as deft fingers flicked open the container’s lid, the cracked mirror reflecting light across his face. 

“I know, dude. That’s the whole reason you gave me this, right? You wanna help me, not hurt me. I remember.” The container had been Jay’s attempt to get on Carlos’ good side after the foursome had gone on their little adventure to receive the Dragon’s Eye Sceptre for Maleficent, salvaged from one of the garbage barges and polished with the brass polish his father had been obsessed with having around the shop. Jay had cleaned it up and brought it to the treehouse not long after they had returned, an olive branch of sorts to the inventor.

“I can’t believe you even kept that, dude. I didn’t even know you’d brought it over here.” Cool fingers slid the container from Jay’s grasp, closing the lid again before pressing the tip of his index finger along the inscription. 

“Of course I kept it, asshole. It was the second gift I’d ever got. I have the pillow Evie gave me here too...left the comforter though.” He smiled shyly, scratching his thumb nail over the letters on the container. “It’s funny...this use to belong to Chad, you know? Before you found it?” Jay tilted his head slightly, brow raised, and Carlos chuckled. “C.D.C. Chadwick Darling Charming. I’ve seen his replacement one, the engravings the exact same.” Jay made a face, and Carlos snorted. “I had the same reaction when I realized it. But when you gave it to me, I didn’t know Chad. I just knew you’d given me something that you could have just as easily given to Jafar to sell. Plus, when Chad threw it away, it had a lot of pills in it. A lot of them were pretty helpful between when you gave it to me and when we left the Isle.” He smiled wider, tucking the container into the pocket of his shorts. “And now I know that Chad’s been treated for anxiety disorders, which makes it a lot easier to let the shit he says roll off my back for the most part.” 

“I didn’t know those other pills were for anxiety...I only recognized the painkillers and thought they’d be helpful for you.” Jay shifted on the bed, frowning slightly. “Did you ever try to take the anxiety ones?” Carlos shook his head, and Jay let out a small sigh of relief.

“No, I didn’t know what the dosage was and the book that Yen Sid gave me about medications stated that a lot of those sort of pills can slow your reaction time, make you sleepy or hungry...not exactly the ideal side effects when you live with Cruella.” Jay nodded, wincing slightly at the thought of his friend taking one of those pills and getting caught by his mother without being able to run away as easily.

“Good. What did you do with them then?” Carlos shrugged a little, a sly smirk tilting the corners of his mouth up slightly. 

“Traded them to the Pirates for things mostly. Got Jace and Harry to deliver some to Diego and the Bad Apples for after shows, though I don’t know if they ever made it to them...snuck them into my mother’s drinks when she was having one of her fits. She still hit me usually, but at least she was out of it enough that she didn’t do more damage than usual.” Jay’s frown deepened, and he reached to touch Carlos’ arm lightly, forcing him to look at him as he spoke.

“Carlos, you know that if we go back to the Isle to get Diego, we’re almost guaranteed to run into Cruella. Are you one hundred percent sure your wanna do this?” Carlos was silent for a long moment before he nodded, brows furrowed slightly. 

“I have to do this, Jay. I have to see for myself that I’m not going to turn into her, and I have to know if she-” he cut himself off, almost wary of continuing. “-if she’s even noticed I’ve left.” He doubted that she had outside of realizing that the laundry had piled up and Hell House had fallen into even more disarray since he had left her there, alone and mentally unwell. A part of him felt guilty that he had just abandoned her- it wasn’t her fault that she was unwell, after all. 

“Okay. Alright, C, I get it. I do. But you already have nightmares about her...you get why I’m worried, right?” Carlos nodded, and Jay gave a firm nod before standing up again. “Good. Did you write the letter for the others?” It had been decided that Carlos should write the letter, his hand writing much better that Jay’s own and certainly more legible. Reaching to take a piece of paper from his nightstand, he held it out to Jay with a small smile. 

“All ready to go. Barest of information, and they won’t be able to follow us without asking me how to break the barrier. I’m going to leave it taped to the girls door when we leave.” Jay took the note, examining it before nodding his approval.

“Alright. Checks are in about ten minutes, then we have half an hour before the next one, and then we should be set to go.” The two surveyed the pile of items they had gathered, and Carlos `gave a wry smile. 

“It’s almost like back on the Isle, right? Getting ready for a big haul?” Once the Core Four had fallen into their own version of friendship, they had managed to seamlessly collaborate on theft jobs and other less savory activities as though they’d been working as a team for years. Jay shot him an amused look, moving to start shoving things into a book bag before Carlos gave a heavy sigh and shoved him out of the way. “Here, let me do it, you’re just going to make a mess.” Jay stuck out his tongue, though he did relinquish the bag to the younger teen’s hands before moving to stretch out over Carlos’ bed as he watched Carlos pull the items from the bag to repack them neatly. 

“God, you’re so anal.” Carlos’ nose wrinkled at Jays words, and he paused in his packing to give the older teen an unamused look. 

“I’m sorry, I’d like all of our belongings to fit for this trip. Unless you think you could do better?” Carlos placed his hands on his hips, fixing Jay with an unimpressed gaze for a long, silent moment before returning to his task. “That’s what I thought.” Jay snickered as he fell back into the soft pillows piled on Carlos’ bed, watching his friend as he packed. He'd always admired how neat and tidy Carlos could be; he knew it had more to do with Cruella’s obsession with her material possessions than anything else, but it was still impressive how the younger teen could completely clean their dorm room in twenty minutes. The items disappeared into the bag one by one, the bag looking far less lumpy by the time the younger teen was finished his task.

“Man, dad would have loved having you around the shop C. I bet you could organize the entire place to be like some sort of Auradon style shop with your mad skills.” Carlos rolled his eyes, setting the bag on the floor by the door before moving to sit on his bed again. 

“I hope Dude’s going to be okay without me while we’re gone.” Jay smiled as he moved to join Carlos on the bed, giving him a nudge with his shoulder to get the other to move over some to give him space.

“He made it all that time before you came here, right? I’m sure the others will take good care of him while we’re gone. He’s already over in Doug’s room, so it’s not like he’s out wandering the streets right?” Carlos nodded; they had asked Doug to watch the dog under the pretense of Carlos not feeling well, not wanting the dog to be around while they planned in case Mal had the idea to feed him another truth gummy while they were gone. 

“I know, I just...what if he forgets about me? I know that we’re only gunna be gone a few days but what if something happens?” Jay frowned, digging his elbow into Carlos’ side slightly. 

“Dude. We’ll be there and back in a few days, and Dude would never forget you. I think that dog loves you more than he loves treats and walks combined, C.” Carlos flashed him a small smile, and Jay beamed at him, a warmth spreading through his chest at the look. “I’m going to protect you when we’re over there, alright? I got your back, and you got mine. That’s what we do. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?” Carlos shifted, pressing into Jay’s side as the older teen lifted his arm, draping it over Carlos’ shoulder.

“I know. And I’m not gunna let anything happen to you. You’re…” Carlos trailed off, frowning slightly as he pressed his cheek to Jay’s chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his friend’s shirt. “Important. To me.” Jay stared at the top of Carlos’ head, a pleased smile crossing his lips as he brought his hand up to run his fingers over the younger teen’s shoulder. 

“You’re important to me too, C.” Both teens looked up as there was a knock on their door, staring at Doug as he pushed it open a moment later. 

“Hey guys, room check. How’re you feeling, Carlos?” Carlos gave Doug a half smile, not moving from his spot half on Jay. 

“I feel a little bit better now, thanks Doug. Think I’m gunna sleep the rest of this gross feeling off.” Doug nodded, chuckling some as he glanced from Carlos to Jay. 

“Jay makes a good pillow I’m betting.” Carlos nodded some, giving a wide yawn and burying his face more into Jay’s chest to hide his smirk. It was too easy to trick the other teen; he almost felt bad for lying to Doug when he had always been so quick to help them. 

“Best pillow on the Isle, right here.” Jay spouted, poking himself on the chest as Doug laughed along with him. “But Carlos is a terrible blanket. He just steals all your heat, and then cuddles you so hard that you can’t move again. It’s tragic.” Carlos wrinkled his nose, biting down lightly on the expanse of chest under his face, and Jay let out a yelp. 

“Alright, I’ll let the two of you rest then. Ben’s doing second rounds, so expect him at lights out. Feel better, Carlos!” With that, the son of Dopey closed the door and left, leaving the two of them alone again. 

“You bit me!” Jay prodded Carlos’ shoulder, frowning as the other chuckled into the shirt under his face. 

“Don’t call me tragic then, asshole. I didn’t even bite you that hard, sheesh.” Jay rubbed the spot he had poked, lips quirking slightly as Carlos rubbed his fingers gently over the spot he’d bitten. 

“Don’t look so tragic then, evil forbid you lure someone into thinking you’re pure and innocent.” Carlos beamed, moving to pull himself upright to sit properly on the bed.

“But that's such a useful skill to have, Jay. No one suspects the small, innocent one.” Jay snorted, shaking his head as he moved to sit up as well. “Plus, don’t even pretend you don’t use my incredible acting skills for your own gain all the time.” Jay shrugged, and Carlos shimmied his way off the bed. 

“Uh, C...I have a question.” Carlos glanced over his shoulder at Jay as he moved towards the bathroom, brow raised. 

“Okay? I’m just going to the bathroom, hold on.” Jay rolled his eyes as Carlos closed the door, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as he waited for Carlos to come back out. He was still nervous; his father wouldn’t be happy to see him should they run into him, and he had no illusions that the older man would try to harm him if they crossed paths. “Alright, what’s your question?” He looked back up as Carlos opened the door again, and he frowned. 

“How exactly are we planning on getting to the Isle?” Carlos stilled in his walk back to the bed, hesitating a moment before shrugging. 

“I thought we could, um...borrow Mal’s scooter, actually. It’s already enchanted to go across the water. And the limo can’t cross without the controller, plus I feel like there’s been some added security since we all stole it a few times already.” Carlos stood in the middle of the room, shifting on his feet as he waited for Jay’s opinion on the matter. 

“...do you really want to be the one getting caught stealing from Mal, C? I’m really beginning to think you have a death wish, dude.” Carlos pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down his companion.

“Well do you have a better suggestion, Jay?” The thief was silent for a long moment as he thought over the possible options they had available. Carlos had been correct in assuming that the limo would be more heavily guarded- he remembered Chip mentioning it when he had been poking around the garage area of Auradon Prep earlier in the week.

“What about the boat we stole to go over to stop Uma from getting the trident?” Carlos frowned deeper at the suggestion, tapping his fingers on his thigh as he thought about it.

“No, Fairy Godmother doubled security on the docks even though Ben said we were doing it at his request.” He couldn’t help the small, soft smile at the memory of Ben stepping up for them against the Fairy Godmother’s accusations. “Remind me to do something nice for him when we get back. Something really nice.” Jay’s brow rose, and Carlos flushed, moving to give Jay a shove. “Ugh, no, shut up with your face, that’s not what I meant.” Jay snickered, and Carlos flipped him off. 

“Alright so other than you giving Ben a really nice gift, what I’m hearing is that we’re sort of shit out of luck for actually getting to the Isle.” Carlos heaved a sigh, beginning to pace the room as he tried to think of a solution. Jay had a point; he didn’t want to be the one caught stealing from Mal, though he thought that the girl might be more lenient in forgiving him when the rescue of his cousin was involved. 

“I don’t have time to make us anything to cross the water, Jay. It’s going to have to be either Mal’s scooter or a boat. And Mal’s scooter is far less secure.” Jay hummed, giving a shrug as he glanced at the clock. 

“Well, better to steal her scooter and get the shit kicked out of us later than to steal a boat and get sent back to the Isle permanently I guess.” Carlos nodded, and the room fell silent as the two thought on their friend. “I made sure to pack us some food, too, just in case we’re there for any longer than a few hours.” Carlos glanced over at that, noting the slightly darkened expression on his friends face. 

“In case we get stuck there, you mean.” He understood Jay’s concern; he had the same worry at the back of his thoughts, but if he let every thought that scared him keep him from doing things, he’d still be in the corner of his mother’s dressing room, huddled in a ball. “I can’t promise there’s not a risk of it happening, Jay. There’s too many outlying factors that could throw the probability of that happening in either direction, and we both know there’s no guarantees in life, especially over there. I can promise that I’d do anything possible to get us back to Auradon, though...but if you want to stay here, I’d understand Jay. There’s a lot for you to risk coming with me.” And while he’d feel safer with the other coming along, he knew he could never ask Jay to do something that he truly didn’t want to. 

“Carlos. Do you not want me to come?” Carlos frowned, turning his attention to Jay. The older teen looked worried, as though the thought of Carlos not wanting him to come along hurt him. 

“No, that’s not it. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to come with me. Diego’s not your cousin, you barely know him. I just...don’t want you to feel like you have to go back if you don’t want to is all.” Jay moved to get off the bed, stepping in front of Carlos to put his hands on the younger teen’s shoulders. 

“C. I might not know Diego that well, but I know you. And I know that he’s important to you. So that means that he’s important to me, because you’re important to me. Okay? I’m going to come with you. Between our parents and the other kids, you’re going to need someone to watch your back. Okay?” Carlos gave a small nod, and Jay smiled warmly at him. “We got this, right? Because we’re what?” Carlos snorted as Jay put up a fist, reaching out to bump his own against it before responding. 

“To the core.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Mentions of an accidental death via drowning and descriptions of mental illness (including delusions)

“Carlos! Carlos, you little urchin, get in here!” 

Diego winced as his aunts shrill voice cut through the conversation his father was having with one of the barge goblins, the eldest de Vil casting a glance towards the door that lead to their parlor before nodding for his son to go see what his sister wanted. Diego wrinkled his nose, setting his guitar down on the tattered couch tucked into the corner of the living room that doubled as his father’s office before moving to peek his head into the parlor cautiously. His aunt had come to stay with them not long after the televised defeat of Maleficent, his father having insisted that she let him take care of her while Carlos was away, and the shrill woman had been a less than graceful house guest at the de Vil manor ever since. Nowhere near as large and impressive as Hell Hall, the manor was still a decently sized home; tucked away near the docks where the barges came in, the two story Victorian manor home was in much better repair than the ancestral home of the de Vil’s if only because Cecil had always done the tidying in the home himself before the manor had been relocated. Cecil had taken it upon himself to make the business of what came into the Isle his own- he had, after all, created quite a business for himself before he’d been swept away to the Isle for aiding and abetting his sister in her crimes, and there were no commercials to shoot there. 

“Hello Auntie Ella, Carlos isn’t here, remember?” Diego was glad that while he shared the same genes that caused the de Vil family’s hair to turn black and white, he shared only a few other physical traits with the woman sprawled over the chaise lounge by the big bay window overlooking the harbor. His own skin was much darker, and though he didn’t share the freckles that his cousin had, he did have the same high cheekbones that several of the Isler girls expressed envy over often. 

“What do you mean Carlos isn’t here, you’re right there you idiot child. Go get mummy a drink, before she gets upset.” Diego’s expression darkened slightly, and he stepped into the room to place his hands on his hips, eyeing the woman carefully. 

“Aunt Ella, we’ve been over this. I’m Diego. Not Carlos. Carlos is gone.” The woman sized him up, squinting slightly before a look of recognition crossed her face and she waving her hand at him. 

“Oh, yes. You’re too tall to be Carlos, of course Diego. Where is your sister?” Diego frowned, tilting his head slightly before moving a few steps closer to Cruella, his eyes falling on the nearly empty decanter of soured wine that had, if he recalled correctly, been full last he saw it. 

“Do you mean cousin Ivy?” His brows furrowed as Cruella swung her legs over the side of the chaise, swaying slightly as she reached for the glass sat on the edge of the table. He watched as long, thin nails scraped over the damp glass, wincing slightly as Cruella’s clumsy drunken fingers fumbled and dropped it on the ground with a sharp tinkle of breaking glass. 

“Idiot!” Cruella cursed, standing up forcefully and nearly toppling over as Diego reached to steady her before snatching his hand away, well aware of the woman’s anger when it came to being touched. “Of course I mean Ivy, do you have another sister? Imbecile!” The words rolled over him like oil in water, barely causing him to react after years of dealing with the woman as he let out a soft sigh. 

“Ivy’s not my sister, and she’s been dead three years, Aunt Ella. Remember? She got caught in that boat crash, during one of Hook’s races? Got a rope wrapped around her throat and dragged under with the wreckage, accidental drowning?” The laws of the Isle dictated that no murder could take place, and while the original villain's seemed to be cursed with a long, healthy life expectancy- even those brought back from death- their children were still at risk of accidental and natural deaths. His cousin’s accident had been tragic, but Diego hadn’t been able to even attempt to mourn her; on the Isle, there were no funerals, no ways to say your final goodbye. 

“Dead? What a shame, she was a lovely girl. Good cheekbones. This place is a disaster, Diego, where is Carlos? It looks like he’s slacking on his chores.” Diego sighed, shaking his head slightly. His aunts mood swings could give a person whiplash, and though he knew that she would rarely lash out physically at him, he had seen the sort of trauma she had caused his cousin on more than one occasion.

“I told you, he’s gone. Remember, he went to Auradon?” Cruella’s eyes narrowed and she struck out at him, his quick reflexes just being enough to save him from a palm to his cheek. 

“That little traitor. Of course.” Diego winced as she turned to face him fully, taking in the shallow set of her eyes and the small squeak toy sewn into the collar of her jacket. “Diego, darling, Auntie is feeling a bit tired. Would you be a dear and escort me to my room?” Diego offered her an arm to steady herself with, leading her down the hall and into the guest room that had been set up for her. “Thank you, darling. If you see Carlos, tell him to come up to my room, I have chores for him.” With that, the woman closed the door in his face, and Diego let out a low whistle as he turned to return to the living room. His father appeared to have finished his business with the goblin and was seated at his desk, going over what appeared to be the contract the goblin had been in to see him about. 

“She’s getting worse, dad.” His father glanced up at him, brows furrowed as Diego moved to settle on the couch again, picking his guitar back up to fiddle with the tuning. “She thought I was Carlos. Like, five different times. And she thought Ivy was still alive.” Cecil let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face before settling back in his chair, watching his son. 

“She’s been progressively getting worse for years, Diego. Your aunt isn’t well, and she hasn’t been for some time now, since they sent her over to this hellish island un-medicated. She barely knows where she’s at these days, especially now that Carlos is gone.” There was a heavy silence between them as Diego played a few chords before Cecil cleared his throat. “I wish you’d been chosen to go over, my boy. I think you’d have done a fine job at your music with proper equipment available.” Diego offered his father a smile; while the man had certainly done his fair share of dastardly deeds, he had always treated Diego far better than many of the parents on the Isle- perhaps in difference to how his sister treated her son, wanting to one up her in at least one aspect of their lives. 

“I know dad. But hey, the Bad Apples aren’t doing too terribly here, right? Booked through the next two months for howlers and the Evil’s Day parade, that’s something right?” Cecil nodded, and Diego rested his guitar on his knee as his expression grew more serious. “Dad...do you think he’s doing alright over there without me?” 

“Carlos is a very smart boy, Diego. If living with Ella didn’t kill him, I think he’s going to be okay living in Auradon. It was smart of him not to return here after the coronation, he has a much better chance over there. What we have to worry about is what to do with your aunt right now. I can’t have her screaming all hours of the night any more, it’s starting to ruin my sleep schedule.” Diego snorted at his father’s words, and Cecil frowned. “But before we discuss that, we need to discuss these barge bannings and how they’re affecting the food shortage and our business.” Diego groaned, dropping his head back on the couch as Cecil rolled his eyes at his son’s dramatic behavior.

“Dad I told you, I don’t want to take over the business. You love bossing around the goblins, and frankly I have better things to do. Like practice, which Edith will literally stab me if I’m late for so I should go. Now.” Pulling himself up, he grabbed his guitar, slinging it over his shoulder and shooting his father a salute before disappearing out the door. Slipping out into the main hall, he made his way to the door, grabbing an apple from the bin that had just come in from the docks before heading out into the street. The hike to the small shack the Apples used as their practice area wasn’t too long, and by the time he’d reached the barred door he had an apple core to throw at the bell the hung just to the left of it. The slot on the door slid open, and he was greeted by one ice blue eye peering at him. 

“Password.” Rolling his eyes, Diego slammed a fist into the door, and the person behind it gave a sharp ‘hey!’ as the eye moved back some. 

“Let me in Aren, you fuck nugget. I’m not even late.” There was a grumble from behind the door before it pushed open, revealing the freckled face of the red haired son of Hans Westergaad. “You know it’s me every time, you don’t have to ask for a password idiot.” Aren wrinkled his nose and shoved Diego into the shack, closing the door behind him before moving to join Edith and Eli Balthazar in tuning their instruments. Edith paused as she sat at her drum kit to pull her long, black hair into a ponytail before taking a moment to look at Diego, brow raised at his lack of case for his guitar. Instruments were hard enough to come by on the Isle, so those few who had them treated them better than Jafar treated his piles of gold, and to see the singer without his case was almost unheard of. 

“You forget something, D?” Eli glanced up at his sister’s question, one pierced brow raising as he flicked lime green hair from his face. 

“Where’s your case, man?” Diego let out a grunt as he swung his guitar to his front, moving to take his spot at the front of the small staged area. 

“Man, my aunt started her crazy bullshit again and then dad went off about taking over the business. I just wanted out, asap, you know? How many times do you gotta tell someone you don’t want to be managing stupid dock goblins before they get it?” The others made noises of agreement as they fell back into their tuning, and Diego let his gaze sweep across the small room to take in the beat up old sofa tucked under one of the barred windows, a small black and white bean bag stuffed with old cloth in the corner next to the small working mini fridge Carlos had salvaged for them for their band’s two year anniversary. He felt a sudden longing for his cousin, who often sat in on their practice sessions whenever he could escape his mother’s grasp for a bit. Carlos had always been the only one to truly appreciate the Bad Apples when they played good, proper music; the style on the Isle was bad, right down to being off key and slightly terrible lyrically. But the youngest de Vil had always applauded when they decided to try out the music that Diego heard on Carlos’ amped up stereo, encouraging in a way that should have been frowned upon were they bad, improper villains. 

“She’s gone pretty bat shit since ‘Los went across the deep blue, yeah?” Aren asked, picking at the faded paint of his guitar as Edith picked up her drumsticks. Diego shrugged, bending to switch on the amp before straightening up, brows furrowed at the thought of his aunt’s behavior. 

“Man, forget her. Dad’s going to lock her up somewhere if it gets worse, I think. She thought I was C, can you believe it? And she was asking for Ivy, like she was still alive. She’s not all there, man. I’m fucking glad Carlos is out of her reach.” The others fell silent at Diego’s biting words, well aware of the teen’s protectiveness for his younger cousin, and after a moment Eli cleared his throat, strumming a chord softly. 

“Totally, man. Carlos is safe, and we’ve got like six gigs to prepare for. So let’s get this party started with a little Call Me Never maybe?” Diego snorted, adjusting the feedback on the amp before giving a nod to the three, and Edith brought her sticks above her head, hitting them together in time with her counting. 

“A one, two, a one two three four!”

-=-=-

Stealing Mal’s bike had been surprisingly easy. Whether the purple haired girl hadn’t anticipated anyone wanting to steal from her specifically or she had expected the people of Auradon to be better than potential thieves, Carlos didn’t know; but it had taken him all of five minutes to hot wire the vehicle after Jay had broken into the garage that housed it and stolen it from it’s spot parked next to Ben’s own. The two had rolled the scooter far enough away from the school that no late night walkers would hear the sound of the scooter sputtering to life as Carlos pressed split wires together, before both of them had gotten on and taken off into the night. Now they sat, scooter idling, at the very same cliff Mal had used to send herself off towards the Isle three weeks prior. 

“And you’re sure that the spells still on it, right?” Jay’s question was spoken almost hesitantly, as though he wasn’t 100 percent certain he wanted to know the answer. In all honesty, Carlos wasn’t positive that the spell was indeed still on the scooter- he knew Mal hadn’t taken the spell off since she often used the scooter to take her all over Auradon to meet Ben for events and interviews without having to travel with him all the time, but not if there was some sort of restriction on the spell. 

“It let Mal go from Auradon Prep to the meeting with the Emperor two days ago, didn’t it?” He tried to sound confident, though his hands shook slightly as he shifted in his spot between Jay’s legs. The older of the two had declared that since Carlos was smaller it made more sense to tuck him in front of Jay, who would have better control over the scooter on turns with his experience with other two wheeled vehicles. 

“That doesn’t sound like a yes, Carlos.” Jay’s tone was flat, and Carlos could tell from the stiff way his friend was sitting that Jay was afraid. He couldn’t blame him; the cliff was quite high, and if the spell wasn’t on the scooter any more, the two of them could very well be plunging to their deaths as they drove over the cliff’s edge. 

“I mean statistically speaking it’s not a no, either.” His voice only cracked a little, and he turned slightly to look over his shoulder at Jay’s face. He couldn’t help the small snort at the pinched expression on the other teens face, and while he often considered Jay to be one of the most attractive people he knew (and if his heart always beat a little faster when Jay pulled him close, well, who would call him out on it?) the look certainly wasn’t doing him any favors. Twisting to pull his legs up and turning to face Jay properly, he reached out two gloved hands to press his fingers into Jay’s cheeks, pushing slightly until his friend's lips puckered ridiculously under his ministrations. “We’re going to be fine, Jay. If Mal can do this, we totally can. Right?” Jay made a face as much as he could with Carlos’ fingers still pushing his face in weird ways, reaching to grasp the hands on his face to pull them down into their laps as he surged forward slightly, pressing his lips firmly to Carlos’ own before pulling away with a smirk. 

“Alright. That was for good luck. And also because if I’m about to die, I don’t want to have never kissed you.” Carlos’ cheeks flushed brilliantly, his mouth gaping as Jay nudged him to turn back around on the scooter. “Seriously, like, how can you not know I’ve wanted to do that since we went to get Maleficent’s scepter? You’re totally oblivious dude, no wonder I use to have such an easy time stealing from you.” Carlos gave a little whine, pressing back against Jay’s chest as the other teen leant to grasp the handlebars once more. 

“I was too busy trying not to let on that I liked you, asshole! Oh my evil, seriously?” Jay laughed, revving the engine before pressing on the gas, the scooter shooting forward towards the edge of the cliff. Pressing his face close to Carlos’ own, his mouth near the younger teen’s ear as they rapidly approached the drop off, he gave a soft kiss to the flesh just under Carlos’ ear. 

“Well if we survive this then you can yell at me for not making a move sooner.” Carlos grasped the arms caging him in, giving the slightest nod as they hit the cliff, the scooter arching slightly into the empty air before tilting to descend towards the water, the two teens letting out screams as they rapidly approached the water…

….only to bounce as if they’d hit something solid, the scooter still moving forward as though the water under them was road. 

Both clung to the scooter, eyes wide as the vehicle made it’s way over the water towards the shimmering ward that surrounded the Isle of the Lost. Carlos fumbled with his sleeve, pushing the thick leather up to reveal the PDS (Portable Dome Splitter, and Jay had teased him relentlessly when he realized Carlos had named the device) his finger hovering over the button that would activate the device and open the dome enough for them to get through. He waited until they were nearly at the border before pressing the button, a medium sized hole opening in the dome as they drove through before he pressed it again, the dome closing behind them as they skidded out onto the rocky beach just south of the barge harbor. Jay skillfully swerved the scooter to avoid crashing into the large, out-jutting rocks lining the shore, pulling up to a small cave like area just under the docks. The Core Four had found the cave before they’d left the Isle, and from the looks of it the cave had remained hidden from the rest of the Isle. Slipping the scooter into the cave and covering the entrance carefully, the two got off the bike and stood in the middle of the small area, staring at each other for a long moment before Carlos leapt at Jay, wrapping his arms around the taller teen’s neck to pull him down into a firm kiss. Jay returned the kiss, then let out a grunt as Carlos pulled back and punched him in the arm as hard as he could.

“Ow, Carlos, what the hell?” Carlos puffed his cheeks out, gesturing wildly between them for a moment before letting out a frustrated noise, hitting Jay again. 

“You couldn’t have said something to me sooner about liking me? Seriously?!” Jay chuckled as Carlos crossed his arms over his chest, brow raised as he waited for the younger teen to calm down some. After a few minutes of seething, Carlos let out a slow breath, moving to lean his forehead against Jay’s shoulder. “We’re discussing this in full when we get back to Auradon, is that understood?” Jay brought a hand to cup the back of Carlos’ neck gently, stroking his thumb over the knobs of his spine as he let out a soft chuckle. 

“Yeah, dude. Once we get back I’m all yours.” Carlos gave a little hum, and the Jay pressed a kiss to the top of Carlos’ head before gently pushing him back some. “We should figure out where we want to start looking for Diego, before it gets too late. I don’t really want to try scaling these rocks in the dark, but it’ll be easier for us to move through town at night without getting caught.” Carlos nodded, turning in a small circle as he thought. 

“Diego’s probably either at the Apple Shack or back at de Vil Manor by now, unless they have a gig tonight. We’ll have to have a poke around the market, see what’s up. Or Uncle Cecil might know where he is, if they’re on good terms right now.” Carlos had always been envious of his cousin’s relationship with his uncle; Diego might have had days when he’d rather take a long walk of a short pier than deal with the fact that his father wanted him to take over the family business of running the barges dock, but Cecil had never raised a hand to do more than swat at Diego as far as Carlos knew. “Maybe we should start at the Manor?” Jay nodded; the Manor was located close enough that they could probably get there without being noticed.

“We can go up by the docks and head into town that way, it’s about the time the pirates head to Ursula’s so we should be alright.” Carlos nodded at Jay’s words, reaching to take Jay’s hand to pull him to the mouth of the cave. 

“Alright. Let’s go find my cousin.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Bad-Touch Harry exists, and there is very much a feeling of non-con happening because of him. (Don't get me wrong I love Harry, but he is a little bit of a bad touch baddie in the movie, touchin' all up on Ben...) Underhanded implication of past sexual abuse between two minors. And de Vil family feelings of the squishy variety!

If there was one thing in particular that Jay missed about living on the Isle of the Lost, it was how easily one could sneak around as soon as the streets darkened and the smarter inhabitants of the Isle headed back to their homes under the illusion of safety. The docks were deserted by the time they’d scaled the rocks, though neither teen felt entirely safe even as they made their way up the wooden ramp to where Ursula’s Fish and Chips shop sat. Carlos edged closer to Jay as the older teen led them past the shop, the sounds of disgruntled sea folk audible over the din of pirates calling out orders. 

“Do you think Uma made it back to the Isle, Jay?” Carlos’ voice was barely audible as they crept past an open window, and Jay took a quick glance back at his friend as they made it past the shop and into one of the side alleys leading out of the wharf area. 

“I think she’d rather die than come back here, C. I think she’s out there in the ocean still, waiting to make her move....unless she came back for Harry and Gil.” Carlos made a face, pausing as Jay held out a hand to stop him from continuing down the alley as the sounds of bawdy singing echoed around them. “Shit, they must not have been on shift tonight. Turn around, turn around Carlos.” Carlos spun on his heel, eyes wide as he collided with a solid body directly behind him.

“Well, lookit what we’ve got here, Gillie! Two little traitors, running around our fair docks!” Jay let out a low growl as he reached to pull Carlos against him, eyes narrowed at the pirate blocking their way out of the alley. Carlos gave a shiver, eyes on the expanse of familiar tanned skin leading from a dirt smeared chest to a lazy smirk and kohl lined eyes. Licking his lips, he kept his gaze on the man in front of him, willing himself to calm down.

“Hi, Harry. Nice seeing you, but we’re actually in a rush so we’ll just be...leaving...now.” Carlos shrank back some as Harry’s hand came up to twist Carlos’ hair between his fingers, his heartbeat picking up at the pirates closeness. “Can you seriously not, wow, bad touch dude.” Jay’s hand reached out to swat Harry’s hand away at the waver in Carlos’ voice, and Harry let out a laugh as he shifted his hand to grasp Carlos’ shoulder. 

“What’re you doing here, Pup?” Carlos tried to shake the man’s grip, wincing as behind him he felt Jay being pulled away from him. Turning slightly to look for his friend, he noted that Gil had managed to push the other teen against the wall, bracing him there with an arm across his throat. 

“I came to see Diego. And don’t call me that, I told you not to call me that any more.” Harry smirked, his fingers trailing down Carlos’ arm to grip him by the elbow, pulling him almost flush to his own body as his smirk widened. 

“Aw, but you use to love it when I called you that, Pup.” Carlos tried to shake off Harry’s grip, wincing slightly as the pirates grip simply tightened more. He could hear Jay struggling against Gil’s grip behind him, though he knew that there was no way Jay could beat the youngest son of Gaston in a battle of strength. 

“I have never liked being called that. You use to call me that to watch me squirm in discomfort, even after I asked you repeatedly to stop. Calling. Me. That.” He emphasized each word with a sharp tug of his arm, hoping to lose Harry’s grip. Harry simply smiled wider still, using his grip to pull Carlos’ body flush to his own as he leant slightly to bring his face to the younger teens. 

“I don’t recall all of your squirming being in discomfort, Pup. In fact, I seem to recall quite a few nights when you were squirming in ple-” A sharp crack rang through the alley, Harry’s eyes widening as he backed away from a pale faced Carlos slightly, rubbing his jaw where the younger teen had punched him. “Oooh, puppy has some bite now, does he? Learn that from Jafar’s brat did you? Or perhaps Mal took it upon herself to finally show you a little pity, teach you to defend yourself?” Carlos’ breath quickened as Harry spun him, arm pressed tight across Carlos’ own on the smaller teen’s chest as he held him firmly with his back to the pirates chest, peering over his shoulder at Jay. “He’s a right feisty lad now, isn’t he Jay? Does he still bend over for the slightest compliment?” Carlos’ cheeks reddened and he renewed his efforts to get out of the older teen’s grips, twisting as Jay gave a deep growl towards Harry. 

“Shut the fuck up, Harry, or I’ll slit your goddamn throat.” Gil pressed his arm tighter against Jay’s throat, effectively shutting him up as Harry gave a cackle of a laugh, looping his free arm around Carlos’ waist to prevent further struggle on Carlos’ behalf. 

“I’d love to see you try, you two bit thief. Now, why are you two really back on the Isle? And where are those bitches you call friends?” Carlos stilled as he took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself again as he tested the tightness of the pirates arms around him. 

“I told you, I have to see Diego. We just came back so I can see my cousin.” Silence fell over the alley as Harry shared a look with Gil, who slowly lowered his arm and stepped away from Jay just enough for the other teen to push himself away from the wall. 

“Seriously, it’s just us and we’re just here on family business. What’s it even to you, we don’t have a way off the Isle for you and Uma’s not even here to be making you fight us.” Harry shrugged, slowly sliding his arms from Carlos, his fingers trailing over the other teen’s chest and stomach painfully slow before he gave Carlos a shove towards Jay. 

“Uma’s still outside the barrier, true. And frankly if you want to go find your cousin, that’s your business now, isn’t it? I don’t want a fight, I’m usually more of a lover myself, if you recall.” Jay’s body surged towards Harry, though his movement was stopped as Carlos put a hand out to his chest to keep him from leaping at the other teen. 

“It’s fine, Jay. He’s not worth the energy you’d expel trying to fight him.” Harry shifted back on his heels, gesturing for the two VK’s to pass by him towards the exit of the alleyway. 

“Don’t you worry, Pup. I’ll come and find you sooner or later before you get to leave this Isle again. In the meantime, why don’t you go visit your mother dearest? I hear she’s missing her little Carlos quite badly.” Gil burst into an unsettling, deep giggle, and Carlos shot the two a look as he reached to tug Jay past Harry, careful to avoid the pirate’s grabbing hands as he slipped around him. 

“No thanks.” Somewhere behind them, Bonny’s booming voice echoed down the alley, calling Gil and Harry back to the Fish and Chips shop. Carlos and Jay quickly exited the alley, darting out onto the main road leading out of the docks and quickly making their way towards de Vil Manor. 

“Are you alright, C?” Jay’s voice was gentle as they tramped through the muddied streets, his hand moving to take Carlos’ as they walked side by side, the younger teen staring heavily at the ground in front of them. 

“Every time I see him I just...it’s hard to remember that it’s not my fault he treated me the way that he did. There’s something wrong with him, Jay. Something really...really wrong.” Carlos’ voice was whisper soft, and Jay tugged him to a stop to pull him into a tight hug, frowning as shaking hands pressed to his back. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything about what happened between the two of you, Carlos, but I swear if he ever tries to do anything to you ever again...there won’t be enough left of his body for them to figure out what happened to him.” Carlos gave him a small, shaky smile and Jay tightened his arms a fraction before letting go.

“I know, Jay. The past is past, forgive forget right? Though I don’t think I’ll ever forgive or forget what happened between us.” He gave a small shudder, shaking his head before stepping out of Jay’s grasp, turning to start off towards de Vil Manor again. “Maybe later I’ll be okay sharing what happened between us...but not right now.” He rubbed his shoulder slightly before nodding towards the large Victorian house. “It should be late enough that D’s at his place, unless he’s off sleeping at the Shack. His room’s on the far side of the house, bottom floor. We’ll try there first, and if he’s not there then I guess we’ll check the Shack.” Jay nodded, letting Carlos lead the way to his cousin’s home while maintaining a watchful eye for anyone who might attack them in the night. Carlos slipped into the small alley between the manor and one of the warehouses the building was tucked in between, counting windows as he made his way to the far back corner. Stopping in front of one, he jumped to pull a milk crate from atop the dumpster next to the window, using it as a step to knock his knuckles against the window three times. He waited a long moment, then tapped twice more, and after several seconds the window slid open, a confused looking Diego peering out at them. 

“Hey, D.” Diego’s eyes widened as he took in his cousin, his mouth falling open as he glanced from Carlos to Jay and back to the smallest of the three. 

“Carlos? What the fuck are you doing here?” Carlos’ wide grin fell some at the harsh words, and Diego quickly moved to slip out the window, dropping the few feet to the ground before gathering his cousin up into a massive bear hug, spinning him around. “Not that I’m not super stoked to see you dude! But seriously, what the fuck are you doing back here? I thought you were in Auradon!” Carlos laughed, wrapping his arms around Diego’s neck to hold him tight, letting the taller teen swing him around before being placed back on his feet. Behind them, Jay stood awkwardly, watching the reunion with a small smile quirking his lips. He had never really spent much time with Diego, before or after he had befriended the musician’s cousin, though he had certainly been to enough Howlers with the Bad Apples playing to at least know who he was. 

“I had to come see you, make sure you were alright. I...Diego, were you singing mom’s song anytime in the past two days?” Diego frowned, thinking back as he let his cousin go. 

“Yesterday morning I think? I was doing some shopping in the market, got the song stuck in my head. Was totally missing you, little dude.” Carlos nodded, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet as Jay frowned behind him. 

“I heard you! We were in the cafeteria getting breakfast and I heard you singing, D! That’s insane!” Diego’s brow furrowed in confusion, and he reached out to still Carlos.

“What do you mean you heard me?” Carlos beamed at him, his hands moving to grasp Diego’s arms as he gave a little hop. 

“I heard your voice singing mom’s song while we were sitting at our table. Clear as day, I thought I was losing it. No one else heard it.” Diego gave Jay a look over Carlos’ shoulder, and the ex-thief shrugged. 

“I sure didn’t hear it, and I was sitting right next to him. I don’t know if it was magic or what, but Carlos was adamant that he could hear you dude. And there ain’t no one in Auradon who sounds like you.” Jay crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Carlos released Diego from his grasp to run his hands over the older teen’s body, checking for injury. 

“You’ve been staying safe?” He asked, voice small as he hit a harsh cut running down the backside of his cousin’s left arm. Giving Diego a inquisitive look, the elder de Vil gave a sheepish laugh. 

“Yeah, C, I’m alright. Edith knocked over an entire stack of shit at the Shack earlier and I tripped into the window sill. We still haven’t fixed that piece of metal sticking up...but it’s not that deep, I promise. I already cleaned it and everything.” Carlos fretted over the cut a moment more before taking a full step back, eyes traveling over his cousin. 

“You look okay, besides that cut. Have you been staying out of fights? No one’s giving you shit?” Diego snorted, reaching to ruffle Carlos’ hair gently. 

“It was never me getting hassled, dude. Have you been staying safe? No one’s starting shit with you in Auradon?” Carlos shook his head, and Diego shot Jay a look for confirmation. 

“We had some trouble when we first got there, and there’s always a few assholes who want to pick a fight, but we’re doing good.” Diego nodded, and Jay moved to Carlos’ side, standing just close enough for them to brush against each other. The two teens stared at each other for a long moment, each sizing the other up as the smallest shifted between them, before Carlos spoke again. 

“I want you to come back with us, D.” Carlos’ voice was soft, as though afraid his cousin would get upset with him, and it took a moment for the words to really sink in for the musician.

“Back...like to Auradon? You want me to come back there, with you? Off the Isle?” Carlos nodded, and Diego gaped at him, at a loss. Of course, like any of the children on the Isle he had considered what it would be like if he had been one of the ones chose to cross the ocean, but to actually be offered it…”I don’t know what to say, C. Are you serious?” Carlos chuckled, reaching to rub the back of his neck as he gave a small nod.

“As a heart attack, man. I hate the thought of you being stuck over here. You should have been picked to go over, not me.” Diego frowned, his fingers digging into Carlos’ shoulders as he shook his head. 

“Carlos, no. If they had asked me to go, I’d have told them to take you.” Carlos tilted his head slightly, and somewhere behind them, inside of the house, a shrill yell reached their ears. 

“Is that...my mom?” Carlos tensed under his cousin’s hands, and his eyes darted from the man before him towards the house. “Is my mom here?” Diego squeezed Carlos’ shoulders, turning him slightly away from the house. 

“She’s been staying here since you left. She’s getting worse, C.” Carlos bit his lip, and Jay pressed a hand to his lower back. “She asked me where Ivy was today.” Silence settled between them, and after a moment Jay cleared his throat. 

“Carlos is right, you know. We could bring you back with us, there’s food and it’s safe, dude. People say they want to help you and they actually want to help. It’s...weird.” Diego turned his attention to Jay, and Carlos let his attention slid to the house while the two older teens talked. Most of the windows were dark, and his eyes slid to the only lit window on the second floor. He could see shadows moving; his eyes tracking the slim figure seemingly pacing the lit room. He’d recognize those erratic movements anywhere’s- how many nights had he sat outside of Hell Hall, watching for his mother’s shadow to move to her bed so he could return inside? Diego had said she was getting worse, and Carlos couldn’t help but wonder exactly how worse the woman could be. 

“Carlos. Carlos, hey.” Blinking owlishly as he turned to face his cousin, he licked his lips nervously as his attention focused on the taller teen. 

“Sorry. What were you guys talking about?” Diego frowned, and Jay rubbed his hand slightly as he gave Carlos a small smile. 

“We were talking about what’s been happening on the Isle. Diego says Ben’s been doing what he said he’d do, sending more food and medical supplies, but the barge ban has made it so that the runs are only being done three times a week. So better stuff, less runs.” Carlos’ brow furrowed, and he leaned back into the touch on his back. 

“Ben’s still in the process of getting his father's proclamation rescinded. It’ll take time for the runs to come back to the regular cycles, but they will.” Diego nodded, and Carlos shifted on his feet, eyes drifting back towards the lit window. “The probability of it being within the next two weeks is actually fairly high, now that Mal’s helping him with all of his paperwork.” He could see her silhouette, arms waving in the air as the shrieks grew louder. 

“Carlos, don’t…” He didn’t realize he had started moving towards the house until Diego spoke, slim fingers squeezing his shoulder. “She’s already had an entire bottle of Soured Wine, you know how she is when she’s drunk.” Carlos shuddered slightly, the last memory of his mother when drunk surfacing for a moment before he pushed it away, phantom pain in his shoulder reminding him of just how his mother was when she’d been drinking. 

“I have to see her before I leave, Diego.” It was almost a whisper, and Diego’s frown deepened and he shook his head vigorously.

“No, you don’t. You’re not a part of this life anymore, C, you’ve left the Isle. You can just forget all this.” Carlos twisted away from the two older teens, beginning to pace the small area outside of Diego’s window as he ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the strands. 

“No, I can’t. I can’t just forget about it, Diego, I can’t because her voice is in my head, it’s all I can hear some days and it’s telling me things that I can’t deal with. She’s dug under my skin and I can’t pull her out, she’s just waiting beneath the surface. I can’t leave the Isle because every night I close my eyes and I’m right back here.” Diego sucked a breath through his teeth, watching as Carlos’ pacing became almost frantic as his gaze drifted to and from the window. “You can’t overcome your demons unless you face them. I have to face my demon. I need to face my mom, prove that I’m not like her.” Jay moved to step in front of Carlos, blocking his pacing route and forcing him to stop moving as he dropped his hands onto the younger teen’s shoulders. 

“C. You don’t have to face her right now. You heard Diego; she’s wasted, she won’t even know that you’re there. Better we wait until she’s sober and as coherent as Cruella can be, right? We know Diego’s here and he’s safe. He’s going to think about coming with us, right?” Both glanced at the musician, who gave a firm nod. 

“I’ll think about it. I don’t want to leave the Apples here if we can help it...they’re my band, we’re tight. But Auradon has a lot of opportunities that the Isle doesn’t...if we can all go, then I’m in.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Diego flashed him a toothy grin. “But right now? I think it’s time that we find you guys a place to crash. It’s late and the pirates have been getting creative with just how far their territory stretches.” Jay snorted, and Diego glanced at his house before giving a hum. “The Shack’s probably your best bet. Do you want me to walk you guys up, make sure you don’t get lost?” Carlos shook his head, relaxing slightly as Jay slipped an arm around his shoulder. 

“No, I know where I’m going. It hasn’t been that long, asshole. And I assume the security measure as still the same, since none of you are smart enough to make anything better than what I made.” Diego clutched his chest as his cousin’s words, dramatically falling back against the wall. 

“My ego! Wounded, by my own flesh and blood!” Carlos rolled his eyes, and Jay let out a barking laugh. 

“Man, you de Vil’s are some drama queens. Remind me to tell you the story about Carlos meeting a dog for the first time tomorrow.” Diego’s brow rose in curiosity, and Carlos cleared his throat, turning and dragging Jay with him. 

“Alright, stop making fun of me you jerks. C’mon Jay, let’s leave D to his beauty sleep, he needs it.” Diego snorted, and Jay cast him a small wave as he let Carlos drag him back down the alley. Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched until the two bodies disappeared down the road before turning to climb back into his bedroom, closing the window tight and locking it before making his way back to where he’d been working on some lyrics. 

As much as he loathed that it had put Carlos in danger once more, he was sort of glad his cousin had come back for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Descriptions of someone acting out violently during an argument (sort of). Not super descriptive, but could be triggering to some.   
> Also: copious amounts of cuddling Jaylos.
> 
> (In other news, if none of y'all know me over on Tumblr, I go by davidelizabethbowiestrider or eternalscreamsofgavinfree and I am always taking requests for little Jaylos fics! idk if anyone's interested in that. )

The Apple’s Shack looked the exact same as it had the last time Carlos had been to it, the outside wall a smear of reds and lime greens with random traffic signs nailed over any holes in the walls. He could remember helping his cousin build the small one room building, hours of hiding from Cruella spent unbending nails and searching for scraps of materials to use. He had built the security system himself; lacking sophistication, but effective enough in its simplicity, it involved removing a section of bricks in a specific order before being able to open the door to the small shack. He pulled the bricks and swung the door open, pleased to find that the inside of the shack hadn’t changed much since they had left the Isle. 

“This is pretty cool, dude.” Jay’s voice held an edge of awe as he looked around, and Carlos couldn't help the swell of pride that washed over him as the older teen collapsed onto the couch, gesturing for Carlos to join him. 

“It'd better be, the amount of time and energy Diego and I put into it.” Chuckling, Carlos hovered over the couch, unsure as to where he should settle since Jay had stretched out over the entire length of the furniture he lay upon. Jay rolled his eyes, reaching to pull the smaller teen down atop him before shifting to arrange them into the most comfortable position possible while both were squashed together on the couch.

“I should have known you had something to do with putting this place together. Diego doesn't exactly scream ‘able to make structurally sound housing’ to me.” Carlos snorted, settling against Jay’s chest and pressing his fingertips against his body to feel the steady rise and fall with each breath. Strong arms wrapped around him, and Carlos couldn't help the soft, pleased hum at the contact. “How are you feelin’ now that we're back?” He remained quiet a long moment at Jay’s question, trying to come up with an accurate response as he began to trace patterns in the fabric under his fingers.

“She's not as pushy here.” It was true; ever since they'd broken back through to the Isle, his mother's voice in the back of his head was muted some, as though instead of being shouted down a stretched line, her words were a constant muffled hum that was almost easier to ignore. “It's almost like when we were back at Auradon everything was...I don't know, like when you played Rumours as a kid, and you had to shout down the tin lines to be heard so you really screamed so you knew the other people could hear you, but then it just turned out that you were screaming at them when they could hear you easily...does that make sense?” Strong fingers moved through his hair, and Jay gave an affirmative hum.

“Like you have to scream to be heard even though it's quiet. I get that. And it's not as bad now that we're back?” Carlos nodded, and Jay pressed a light kiss to the top of his head as he thought the situation over. He knew that he wasn't as book smart as the younger teen, but a pattern was forming in his head as he thought back on the past six months. “It's gotten worse every time the barriers been opened again, hasn’t it?” Carlos frowned, pushing himself up slightly on his elbows to look at Jay properly.

“Yeah, I didn't even think of that but that's true. And come to think of it, I’ve been feeling sort of weird since the first time I opened the barrier...do you think that might have something to do with all this?” Jay gave a small shrug, and Carlos settled back down on him, resting his cheek against the older teens shoulder. Silence fell over them once more, the two resting comfortably together, before Carlos spoke again. “Do you want to see your dad at all while we're here, Jay?” Jay made a small, disgruntled noise, shifting uncomfortably before responding.

“About as much as I want to gouge my eyeballs out. He's selfish and greedy and doesn't really care about me, so why should I waste my time checking in on him?” The words were spoken bitterly, and Carlos frowned as he brought the hand not wedged between Jay’s side and the couch to press cool fingers against Jay’s jaw lightly.

“I'm sorry.” Jay tilted his face into the touch, offering Carlos a soft smile.

“Well it's not your fault, dingus. We knew what our parents were like before we left the Isle, none of us were under the illusion that they actually loved us. But being in Auradon...it's changed us. I like being part of a team where the motto isn't ‘stick together until there's a chance to screw over the next guy’. Evie gets to be smart without her mom telling her it's not okay. Mal gets to be her own person and be with Ben. And you get to be you and not have to worry about your mom. We’ve definitely changed for the better. And I think seeing the new, more confident you really woke me up...you wouldn't have punched Harry in the face six months ago. I'm really proud of you, dude.” Carlos flushed at the praise, leaning up to press a gentle kiss to Jay's lips before laying his cheek back to the older teens chest.

“I like that you're letting yourself be happy, Jay. And someday maybe we won't be constantly looking over our shoulders or defending ourselves when we didn't do anything wrong, and we won't be trying to escape the shadow the Isle’s still casting over us.” He let out a soft sigh, tension releasing from his body as Jay began to rub his neck soothingly, silence settling over them once more as they enjoyed their closeness. Carlos let his mind wander as Jay's hand rubbed languidly against him. Jays previous point of the break in the barrier being the potential root of the strange occurrence of his hearing his cousin's voice was certainly interesting; the possibility of the first time he broke through in his tree house being the catalyst entirely plausible now that he thought about it. He had felt the tingling sensation of magic when the box had broken through the barrier initially- a sharp, almost buzzing sensation that had run down his arms and through his torso from the machine that he had never felt before. Both Evie and Mal, and to a lesser power Jay now that he thought about it, had always claimed to be able to feel the vibrations of magic just outside their reach, but Carlos himself had no ties to magic with his mother being 100% human. Even his father had been human, as far as he knew; Cruella had always proudly gloated that she had never had to lie with the supernatural to get her way, and Carlos believed it.

But he felt it now- the tug at the corner of his senses, just subtle enough to keep him from ever really noticing it. Thinking back now, he could recalled the sensation he'd had when they'd first left the Isle, the buzz under his skin when Chip had opened the barrier for the limo that he had simply written off as an anxiety attack at the time. The sharp jab of sensation when Jane had broken the barrier with her mother's wand at Ben’s coronation that he had explained away as nerves. The sickly heavy feeling in his gut every time they returned to the Isle after that, like a thick molasses had been working it's way through his veins ever since they'd hopped onto Ben’s boat to find the trident. 

“I shouldn't be able to feel the breaks in the barrier.” Jay made an inquisitive noise, his fingers stilling in their massage as he waited for Carlos to continue. “I'm not magic, I shouldn't be able to feel anything when we get near magical items or be able to feel where all the holes are in the barrier. I'm completely human, Jay. I shouldn't be able to sense any of that.” Pushing himself up, he shifted to half straddle Jay, his hands moving to rest on the older teens stomach. “There must have been some sort of...of magical feedback when I broke through the barrier the first time that made me receptive to the magic around the Isle. Which is making me hear the people here.” Jay’s brow furrowed slightly, and his let his hands rest on Carlos’ waist as he thought over his friends theory.

“Okay so...feedback? What do you mean?” Carlos thought on it for a moment, fingers tapping on the other teens stomach before an easier explanation came to him.

“Like...okay. You know when Shane gets too close to the amps during a prep rally and his guitar causes that loud screeching noise?” Jay nodded, and Carlos continued. “Think of the barrier as the amp, and my barrier device as the guitar. When the device broke through the barrier, the feedback of magic was like that screeching noise, except instead of making our ears want to bleed, it somehow affected me on a molecular level, making me sensitive to the specific waves that magic puts off. Why I heard Diego, I'm not really sure, but…that makes sense right?” Jay nodded slowly, thumbs rubbing gently circles on Carlos’ hips as he considered the idea.

“That makes a lot of sense, actually. So you're like….connected to the barrier sort of? Or at least the magic of the barrier?” Carlos shrugged, uncertain. “Maybe it's just a connection to your family? You heard Diego, you feel like your mom's inside your head...it would make sense right?” Carlos shrugged again, and outside they heard the sound of Gaston Jr and Gaston the Third loudly arguing over who owed who money. Carlos couldn't help the snicker that escaped him, and Jay snorted in amusement as the sound of a meaty fist meeting a meatier head resounded. 

“You know, I almost miss that in comparison to Chad always being in our fucking room.” Jays snort turned into a laugh, and Carlos took it upon himself to settle back down on top of the older teen. “I tried reporting him to Fairy Godmother, and all she said was-” Carlos attempted his best Fairy Godmother impression, voice high pitched and slightly condescending, “-’oh dear, why don't you just let him use your printer? It's not harming anyone and sharing is caring, remember?’ Like...I don't care? I don't like that he just barges in while we’re asleep! That's messed up!” Jay nodded, and Carlos exhaled harshly as he buried his nose in Jay’s neck. “What if one of us were doing something and he just came in?” He whined, causing Jay to laugh again.

“Then i’d hope he’d learn to stay out of our room...unless he's a perv.” Carlos whined again, and Jay rubbed a hand along his back. “How about I talk to Ben about it when we get back? It's an invasion of privacy, right? I've gotten enough lectures about how you can't just go into people's room and take their stuff, so it's a double standard if I'm not allowed to do it but Chad is.” Carlos gave a content hum, snuggling closer as he closed his eyes, letting Jay’s warmth seep into him.

“Sounds good to me.” He stated around a yawn, and Jay chuckled before reaching for a threadbare blanket draped over the back of the couch. 

“I think it's time for us to catch some z’s, dude. Yeah?” Carlos gave a small nod, and Jay spread the blanket out over then, pressing a small kiss to his friends hair. 

“Night, ‘Los. Sweet dreams.”

-=-=-

**“How dare they come back here, after what they did to Uma. What they did to us! All we wanted was to be set free from this god forsaken Isle, to be allowed to sail the seas. That wasn't asking much! And now she’s gone and we're still trapped here!” A loud clatter echoed throughout the small cabin, the figure pacing the room pausing as the body on the bed winced slightly at the now upturned tray on the floor.**

**“Uma abandoned us, Harry. They aren't the reason she's gone, you need to accept that she could have come back but she didn't. It's been three weeks, she could have swam back here in three days. They aren't to blame for her not being here.” Gil ducked as a cup flew at him, frowning as Harry continued his erratic movements around the small room.”But they didn't have to leave us here. You're right about that.” Harry paused in his pacing, turning to make his way over to kneel on the bed next to Gil, reaching to grasp his face and pull him close.**

**“Uma wouldn't abandon us, Gil. A captain goes down with her ship.” Gil winced as jaggedly bitten nails pressed into his skin, reaching to grasp Harry's wrist.**

**“And what about a Sea Witch?” Harry's grip tightened fractionally, and Gil curled his fingers tight enough around the other teens wrist for the bones to creak under the pressure. “Let go of me, Harry. I'm not her, and I'm not leaving. You're hurting me.” It was spoken calmly, no trace of the usual goofy undertone noticeable in the youngest LeGume’s voice. Harry quickly released his face, calloused fingers soothing red crescent marks with a quick rub before he pulled back, allowing Gil to take his hand.**

**“This is all his fault.” Gil frowned, confused at the accusation.**

**“King Ben?” He questioned, unsure if that was who Harry was referring to. Harry shook his head, squeezing the hand in his before sliding off the bed, beginning to pace again.**

**“No, de Vil’s!” Gil’s frown deepened as he watched the other teen’s movements, careful to note if he looked ready to throw something else his way.**

**‘Carlos? Or Diego?” Harry shot him a look, and he swallowed thickly as he held up his hands. “Right, Carlos. Why is it his fault? Wouldn't it be Mal’s if it were anyone's fault besides the king's?” Harry let out a groan, throwing his hands in the air as he spun on his heel.**

**“He's the one who broke the barrier! He started all this, everything, it's his fault!” Gil held up his hands placatingly, wary of the other lashing out.**

**“I don't think him breaking through the barrier was the reason they got picked to leave the Isle. And I can't really see how it would cause Uma to not come back…” he hesitated, creeping to the edge of the bed to reach out towards Harry. “Is this about the daytime dreams you've been having, Harry? The ones that started when they came back to rescue the king and you ran into him in the back alley by Mal's?” Harry shot him a dark look, and he lowered his hands slowly. “I don't think you can blame him for dreams you're havin’, Harry.” The room fell silent, Harry's attention focused on a dark stain in the wood of the floor as Gil shifted awkwardly on the bed. “Why don't you come to bed? We can figure out what to do tomorrow.” Harry let out a low sigh, moving to sit beside Gil on the bed.**

**“M’sorry, Gil.” The words were murmured against the bare skin of Gil's shoulder as Harry pressed his face into it, his eyes closed. “I didn't mean to throw things at you.” Gil gave a soft smile, turning to wrap his arms around the other teen.**

**“I know you didn't.” Harry gave a small huff, shifting to curl against Gil more.**

**“I'm trying to be better than my anger. I am. I don't want to push you away like I did him. But then I tried so hard and Uma still left…” Gil tightened his arms around him, squeezing just a bit harder than necessary.**

**“I'm not going to leave. I'm like a barnacle, you'll have to pry me away from you. Got it?” Harry gave a weak chuckle, looping his arms around Gil’s waist as they settled on the bed.**

**“Alright.”**

Carlos woke with a gasp, his face pressed into Jay’s shoulder as he tried to make sense of the dream he had awoken from. It hadn’t felt like a dream; he could feel Harry’s anger like it was his own, could almost feel Gil’s trepidation at Harry’s actions as though he were inside of the pirate’s mind. He pushed himself upright, shaken, and rubbed at his eyes before glancing at the teen stretched out under him. He debated a moment if he should wake Jay up, but after glancing at the small clock hung on the wall decided against it. Slipping from the couch, he moved to look out the small window at the empty street outside, eyes immediately picking out the areas that someone could hide in. 

“I think I’m losing my mind.” He muttered, letting his gaze drift from the wall of the building next to the shack to the road itself, one lone streetlamp flickering a few feet away. “I’m either dreaming of Harry and Gil, or I’m seeing what’s happening with them...I am so not okay with this.” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Jay was still asleep, a small smile gracing his lips as he watched the older teen shift slightly on the couch and give a snore, before turning his attention back to the road. He jumped slightly, startled, as he noted that a figure stood near the streetlight now- tall, slim and slightly hunched, they shifted on their feet before turning to walk the opposite direction. He turned and made his way back to the couch quickly, crawling back into the space between Jay and the back of the couch before closing his eyes tightly. He could have sworn that the figure had been looking right at the Shack, as though they knew that the two teens had taken up residence there for the night, but he hadn’t thought anyone had seen them enter the Shack. 

“Maybe I’m just seeing things.” he murmured, curling his fingers into Jay’s shirt and letting out a low sigh as a strong arm wrapped around him, holding him close. 

“Seein’ what?” Jay’s sleepy voice inquired, and Carlos nuzzled his noise into the soft flesh of his collar as he made a shushing noise. 

“Don’t worry about it, go back to sleep. I’ll tell you in the morning.” Jay hummed, shifting to get more comfortable, and Carlos felt himself relax at bit. 

If there was anyone out there, they wouldn’t be able to get through the Shack’s security.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: mentions of child abuse in the form of an adult touching a child inappropriately, though not in a sexual manner. Also, de Vil family feels.

“Gooooooood morning assholes!” 

Carlos groaned as something heavy landed on top of him, and from under him Jay gave a soft grunt. Peeking one eye open, Carlos spotted what he assumed was his cousin’s side a few inches from his face, red and black shirt pushed up from where he had flung himself over the two teens. He couldn’t remember when he’d fallen back asleep the night before, the dream he’d had of Harry and Gil - and he had to assume it was a dream, because he refused to think that either pirate had a connection to him like Diego and his mother- still sitting heavy in the back of his mind. Jay shoved the two de Vil’s off of him, wincing as the two landed on the floor with a thud and reaching to pull Carlos back up with an apologetic look. 

“Sorry, C. You alright?” Diego made a face from his spot on the floor, shifting to push himself up and lean over the two. 

“What am I, Jay, Gaston’s scraps? You guys together, it’s sickening. Please tell me you’re finally together, because this bullshit is disgusting and about forever coming.” Jay and Carlos exchanged a look, Jay’s brow raised in question, and Carlos gave a shrug, cheeks red. 

“We’re...discussing it when we get back to Auradon. But definitely something I guess?” Diego flashed a thumbs up, reaching to pull his cousin up from the couch as Jay stretched. 

“Cool. I mean I don’t care, you do you, but is it gunna be an issue in Auradon when you get back?” Carlos hesitated in his bend to pick up his jacket from the floor, frowning, and Jay sat up properly to look at Diego. 

“If anyone has an issue with it, they can take it up with me and that’s the end of it. Speaking of Auradon...did you decide?” Diego leant back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave a nod. 

“I have. I will accept the offer to go to Auradon...but only if the offer is extended to Aren, Edith and Eli. I’m not leaving without the band, Carlos.” Carlos lifted his gaze to his cousin’s, the two staring at each other for a long moment. 

“One of us will have to go back to get Ben’s permission to use the limo. We definitely won’t fit six people on Mal’s scooter.” Frown deepening, Carlos turned to Jay, fingers tightening on the jacket in his hand. “You’re the best bet. I know how to drive mom’s car, but you have more experience driving the limo. Plus, Ben really listens to you, he value’s your opinion on things. He’ll probably take your reasoning for coming back to the Isle to get us over mine, what with my being emotionally invested in my cousin coming back to Auradon with us.” Jay narrowed his eyes, reaching to touch Carlos’ shoulder as he stood from the couch. 

“Hey, no, not true. You’d make the best argument for them to come, and dude, seriously, I don’t like the idea of leaving you here alone.” Diego cleared his throat, resting his elbow on Carlos’ shoulder to lean against him as he gave Jay a slightly offended look. 

“Okay, you know he wouldn’t be here alone, right? Like I wouldn’t let him out of my sight, you’ve gotta be kidding me with that shit. And if C says you’re the best person for the job then I’m pretty sure he’s right- he usually is, isn’t he?” Jay hesitated, then nodded as Carlos shot him a look. “He’ll be fine, dude. Seriously, I won’t even let him take a piss alone if it makes you feel better.” Carlos wrinkled his nose, turning slightly to give Diego a shove. 

“That’s disgusting, and yes you will or I’ll never use the bathroom again. Jay, you’re the best choice for this. Just trust me, okay? You do trust me, right?” Jay sighed, tugging Carlos into a hug as he gave a firm nod. 

“I trust you dude. I just worry. Plus I don’t want to go back to face Evie and Mal’s wraths alone. That was secretly your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Carlos snorted, returning the hug before pulling away. 

“You caught me. I totally prefer staying here on the Isle for an extra amount of time over dealing with Mal and Evie being angry. Dork.” Jay grinned, and Diego cleared his throat.

“Where did you guys come onto the Isle? Down by the docks, or over by Castle Across the Way?” Carlos nodded in the direction of the docks, and Diego returned the gesture with a thoughtful look. 

“We have a magic scooter hidden in one of the caves in the shoreline, and Carlos made a way to break the barrier again. I guess I could take the scooter and be back before supper tonight, unless Ben gives me some problems…” Jay glanced from Carlos to Diego, uncertainty causing his shoulders to square. “Alright. I’ll do it then.” Carlos gave him a grateful grin, and Diego cleared his throat. 

“I can get you back to the docks easily, dad wants me to go check on the inventory counts since the next barge isn’t for another two days. Grab Aren’s hoodie from the t.v and come with me, no one will suspect anything since the asshole walks around with his hood pulled up all the time. C, you should head to the Manor...dad would probably get a kick out of seeing you.” Carlos nodded, moving to pull on his jacket before hesitating, turning to his cousin again. 

“Do you have something hooded I could wear?” He didn’t want to announce to the entire Isle that he was back; it was bad enough that Gil and Harry knew, and he didn’t want any more people knowing if he could help it. Diego dug through a bin near the door, pulling out a large, holey purple sweater to toss to the younger de Vil. 

“This’ll have to do. Eli’s a lot bigger than you, but it should make it hard for people to recognize you unless they see your face. Just keep that hood up- the de Vil hair is pretty recognizable.” Carlos nodded, pulling on the sweater and frowning at the size difference. 

“Stop hanging out with people five times my size, I feel like a toddler in this.” Diego chuckled, reaching to ruffle his cousin’s hair as Jay pulled Aren’s sweater over his head, the material shrouding his face well enough. 

“It’s not my fault you’re tiny, Tiny.” Carlos shot Diego a dark look, and Diego snickered. 

“It is too, you took all the tall genes in the family Mr. Six-foot-one.” Jay snorted, leaning to give Carlos a small nudge, and the smallest of the trio gestured towards the door. “Shall we then?” Jay and Diego followed him, and the trio took off out the door to head towards the de Vil Manor, heads ducked down to avoid being detected by anyone happening to pass them. As they walked, Carlos remained tucked between the two older teens, his hands shoved in his pockets as he felt his anxiety rise slightly at the thought of going to his uncle’s home. He had no doubt that the entire reason Diego had suggested he go to the Manor was to keep tabs on him while he was gone, probably hoping that Cecil would keep him occupied long enough for Diego to take Jay to the docks and return before Carlos had any interest in leaving de Vil Manor. 

“Mal’s going to be livid when I get back there. And Evie’s going to skin me alive. You know that, right?” Carlos glanced to his right, a small smile crossing his lips at Jay’s concerned words. 

“They’re not going to hurt you, calm down. Just tell them I made you, they’ll believe it.” Jay snorted, and Carlos reached to pat the older teen’s shoulder as they approached de Vil Manor. “You guys should go to the docks now. It’s early enough that the pirates should still be passed out, so it should be the safest time to go. I’ll stay here, see uncle Cecil.” Jay nodded, reaching to squeeze Carlos’ arm as Diego nudged him. 

“Don’t leave the Manor. And for the love of all that’s unholy, don’t go looking for your mother. Stay in the office or in my room. Do you understand?” Carlos nodded, eyes wide at the serious tone to his cousin’s voice, and after a moment Diego nodded, turning to Jay. “Alright. Let’s head to the docks, get you out of here.” Carlos slipped the PDS into Jay’s hand, leaning up to press a hesitant kiss to the corner of Jay’s lips. “Be safe.” Jay nodded, returning the kiss properly - the sensation of being allowed to still so new - before turning to leave with Diego. Carlos watched as the two slipped down one of the alleys, waiting until the sounds of their footsteps disappeared before turning to the door of the Manor. He moved to the stoop, raising a hand to grasp the large brass doorknob before turning it, his hand shaking slightly as he pushed the door open. The entry way was the same as it had always been; dirty, scuffed marble tiling the floor in a black and white pattern reminiscent of a chessboard, leading the way to the parlor, the kitchen and the living room-turned-office. Making his way silently down the hall, he paused outside the slightly ajar door of the once living room to peer inside. His uncle sat at the old, beat up desk, papers scattered about him as he squinted at the small print. Carlos couldn't help the small spark of fondness that rolled through him at the sight, and he chuckled as he stepped into the room..

“You know, your glasses are more effective if you wear them, Cecil.” The man jumped, startled by the voice, and gave a gasp as he spotted his nephew.

“Carlos, my boy! You, I'm fairly certain, shouldn't be appearing within my four walls.What are you doing here?” The eldest de Vil made no move to stand, and Carlos shifted awkwardly in the doorway before stepping fully into the room, hands shoved deep into the pocket of the hoodie. 

“I came to see Diego, actually. We...want to take him back with us. To Auradon.” He watched his uncle carefully, uncertain as to how the man would react to the possibility of his son leaving the Isle. Cecil’s lips pursed as he set his papers down, reaching to put his glasses on to look at the fifteen year old properly, and Carlos felt a shiver go down his spine. Cecil looked like his sister; the same dual coloured hair, the same high cheekbones sharp enough to cut yourself on and the same stick thin figure that ran through the de Vil line. It was almost enough to make Carlos balk, though he knew his uncle was not a completely unkind man- his mannerisms were just shy of his sisters, and thus caused Carlos to act on the side of wary. 

“To Auradon? To that school the four of you kids went off to go to?” Carlos nodded, and Cecil fell silent as he thought a moment. “He’s suppose to take over the shipment business.” Taking a few steps towards the desk, Carlos cleared his throat, still hesitant to speak out but willing to on his cousin’s behalf. 

“Diego doesn’t want to take over, Cecil. You know that. I think people on the opposite side of the Isle know that. He wants to do his music. Didn’t you ever have a dream?” Cecil frowned, leaning forward slightly against his desk to give Carlos a look. 

“Dreams are silly things, my boy. Look at your mother; she dreamt of having the world’s first coat made by Dalmatian fur, and now she’s nothing more than a wailing woman trapped in her own mind half the time. Diego’s apt at his music, but we need to be realistic. He’s got a future here, even if it’s only running the docks. Can we say the same for young King Ben’s great kingdom? He’s eighteen, Carlos. He’d finish out the year with you and then where would he be? Out in the streets, trying to find a job? It’s safer for him to stay here.” Carlos’ brow furrowed as he made his way to the desk, placing his hands delicately on the stacks of paper as he stared his uncle straight in the eye. 

“He has a chance to actually be happy, Cecil...Uncle Cecil. I know you love him. I know you do, you’re not like my mom, you care about what happens to your son. Auradon would be so good for him. He’d be happy, and healthy, and always have enough to eat. He could do his music; the Apple’s music is already popular at Auradon Prep, so it’s not difficult to see that it would probably be popular all over Auradon. He has talent, Cecil. Real, honest to god talent, and how many people have that on the Isle? Please...let me help him. He’s always helped me...I just want to help him.” His voice fell at the end of his words, his eyes dropping to his hands as he balled them into fists on the desk under them. He knew that if he had to, he’d bring Diego off the Isle without his uncle’s consent; though truthfully, he hoped that Cecil would give his blessing, proving that at least one of the de Vil siblings cared for their offspring. Silence fell over the room, heavy and tangible as Carlos backed away from the desk, worried that he might have angered his uncle with his words. The silence reigned for several long minutes before Cecil let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face before leaning back in his chair, fixing Carlos with a sorrowful look. 

“No one wants to admit they failed their kids, Carlos. Even villain’s, those of us not too far gone or under evils spell, want to see their offspring rise above and become the best. Better villain’s, better business men...you’re right, of course. Diego deserves a shot at his dreams.” Carlos offered the beginning of a smile, and Cecil frowned, holding up a hand. “I should slap you for even suggesting that he leave the Isle, you understand. Were I any other parent on this god forsaken land mass, I would have already. But…” The older man smiled, almost warmly, “...you just want to help your cousin. You’re a good kid, Carlos, which isn't as bad as your mother would make you think. Diego has my permission to leave.” Carlos’ smile widened, and Cecil let his hand drop, gesturing for Carlos to take a seat. “Now, while you’re here, why don’t we talk about how you’re doing over in Auradon? Are you still doing well in your classes? You always were a smart boy.” Giving a shrug, Carlos settled in the chair, still a bit wary. 

“I’m doing well enough. To be honest, I’ve settled in as much as possible. It’s...nice.” Cecil nodded, settling back in his seat as he watched Carlos carefully. 

“Still spending time with Jafar’s boy then? And Maleficent’s offspring, and the Evil Queen’s daughter?” Carlos nodded, and Cecil gave a hum. “Good, good. I’ve been trying to keep up to date on what’s been happening with you, but it’s not easy to get information here, as you know. I’m glad you’re doing well. Diego’s been worried about you.” The two shared a smile, and somewhere above them, a loud crash resounded. Cecil’s gaze turned towards the ceiling for a moment before he sighed, and Carlos couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to touch his uncle’s arm. 

“Diego says she’s getting worse. How bad is it?” He followed his uncle’s gaze momentarily before retracting his hand, placing his in his lap as he waited for his uncle to provide him with a response. 

“It’s beginning to get bad, I won’t lie to you. Your mother’s never been stable, as you know. Now, she’s beginning to lose her grip on reality; some days, she doesn’t even realize you’ve been gone for six months. She calls for you until someone reminds her that you’re in Auradon now.” Carlos took a shaky breath, his fingers digging into his thighs at the words as they sunk in.

“Does she...I mean...Cecil, do you think she ever loved me? For more than what I could do for her?” Cecil’s lips tilted into a frown, his expression more serious than Carlos had ever seen it before.

“My boy...there is only one person in this world Cruella has ever loved, and that's the woman who had her sent to this Isle. Ella has been obsessed with Anita since they were school girls; the only reason she conceived you was because the woman had sent your mother a letter announcing she was pregnant and Ella insisted she needed to be pregnant as well.” Glancing at his nephews crestfallen face, Cecil cleared his throat. “I don't say this to be cruel, Carlos. Before you were born, she seemed to care. I don't know if it was post partum or her finally losing the last of her humanity but once you were born…” Carlos squeezed his eyes closed, his heart beating faster and his fingers curled into fists as he recalled all of the times Cruella had cursed his existence growing up.

“I wasn't a girl. Anita Radcliffe had a baby girl and I was a boy. One more thing that separated her from Anita. She use to…” he glanced at his uncle, a little unnerved at the focus the older man had on him. Part of him wanted to keep his secrets close, but his uncle had known Cruella her entire life; he knew what she was capable of, and though he'd never tried to rescue Carlos from the life he lived, he had never gone out of his way to be cruel to him, though he felt it was more in kindness to Diego than himself. “She use to grab at my...you know, and...and tell me that it was why I was such a disappointment to her. That it made me weak willed and a mongrel.” He shivered slightly at the memory of sharp, claw like nails groping and scraping delicate skin. Cecil frowned, shifting awkwardly in his seat as he gestured at the teen.

“Yes, well. Think of those experiences as character building, Carlos. I'm sure Ella never meant to harm you, deep down.” Carlos was reminded, once more, that while his uncle had never been outright cruel, he had never truly acted in kindness towards him either

“Of course.” He stated, dutifully, and Cecil spared him a half smile. 

“I have a meeting with the goblins soon, so you should run along now. Diego took off earlier, I don't know when he'll be back but I believe he left his bedroom door opened.” It was a dismissal; Cecil turned his attention back to his paperwork as Carlos gave a nod, pushing his chair back to stand. “There are a lot of people on this Isle who would see you strung up by your innards, my boy. I think it'd be best if you remained indoors for the rest of your visit here.” Carlos nodded again, slipping out the living room door to lean against the hallway wall, taking slow, deep breaths to calm his quickly beating heart. He hadn't thought his mother had ever cared for him, and though he felt a sliver of hope at his uncle's words- that his mother at one time had wanted him as a child instead of a slave- he wasn't sure that it wasn't in fact worse knowing that Cruella had wanted him until she'd seen him. 

“Carlos! Carlos, you mongrel, where are you?” He jumped, startled at the sudden screech that echoed through the manors halls. Cruella couldn't have known Carlos was there, so had she been hollering for him while he'd been gone? He brought his hands to scrub at his face before taking a steadying breath, pushing himself from the wall. Diego had told him not to go looking for his mother, but he could feel a pull, tugging at him to search for the woman. Taking a few hesitant steps towards the stairs, he winced as Cruella hollered his name again, picking up the pace as he approached the staircase. He paused, one foot raised to take the first step, as his mother let out another shriek, before resolutely starting up the stairs, pushing a false bravado as he slowly got closer to the top of the stairs. He knew de Vil Manor almost as well as he knew Hell Hall, and logic dictated that his mother was most likely residing in the spare room if she were still in the room her shadow had been in the night before. Approaching the door, he winced as a loud crash resounded through the thick oak door, his hand grasping the knob shakily before turning it to slowly push the door open.

“Mom?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fairly graphic description of someone being strangled, heavy child abuse...it's a short chapter but a pretty heavy one.

Cruella stood in the center of the room, the floor a mess of what looked to be his mother's night creams and other toiletries scattered about as the woman paced the room, her hands curled in her wild hair as she muttered to herself. Spinning on her heel to face him, he saw her eyes widen as she took in the sight of him, standing nervously in the doorway. 

“Carlos. Where have you been? Do you not see this mess?” Carlos recoiled slightly as his mother hissed the words at him, a wide sweep of her arms encompassing the room to bring the mess she had made to his attention. He took a hesitant step forward, stilling when she strode to him to grasp his shoulder in one hand, the other reaching to clutch his chin between two thin fingers, turning his face into the light some. “You’ve gotten more spots, boy. When did that happen?” Carlos wrinkled his nose; his mother’s breath stank of wine, and her nails dug painfully into the soft skin under his chin. 

“I haven’t see you in six months, mom. I haven't even been on the Isle…” he trailed off as Cruella’s fingers tightened, squirming slightly as he was forced to stare uncomfortably into his mother's eyes. Cruella snarled, releasing his face with a small shove and snapping her fingers towards the floor.

“Ingrate. Who raised you? Clothed you, made sure you knew the pride from having a good work ethic?” She pointed at the mess, shrieking. “Pick it up now!” Carlos scrambled to drop to his knees, picking up the scattered toiletries as fast as he could as his mother hovered over him. He knew that she couldn't control him anymore in Auradon, but he was on the Isle again, and the pull to be good so he wouldn't be punished too harshly was too strong at his mother's overwhelming presence. He gathered the items and moved to set them back carefully on the vanity as Cruella moved to sit on the bed, giving a small whine as Carlos turned to face her again. “Come sit with mummy, Carlos.” She pat her hand on the bed beside her, and Carlos cautiously moved to settle down on the lumpy mattress, biting his lower lip as he tried to figure out her sudden mood swing. 

“How, um, have you been mom?” Cruella reached out to pull Carlos against her side, stroking a hand through his hair slowly as she hummed, the action causing a ripple of fear to roll through him as he tried to remain still, regretting having disobeyed Diego’s orders to stay in his room.

“I've missed you, Carlos. Your uncle's forced me to stay here, but now that you're home we can go back to Hell Hall where we belong.” Carlos shifted uncomfortably, frowning at his mother's words.

“I'm only here for a visit, mom. I'm going back to the school soon.” The hand in his hair tightened fractionally, and Cruella's voice darkened as she turned to face him more, his body falling into her chest at the sudden change, the woman’s free hand moving to press against his chest just under his throat.

“No, Carlos, you are here forever. You aren't allowed to leave, who gave you permission to do that? I am your mother and you will stay here with me, do you understand? You will not abandon me like she did.” Swallowing harshly, Carlos reached to try to loosen the grip in his hair, whimpering as Cruella’s fingers tightened painfully.

“Mama, you're hurting me.” His voice was as small as he felt, and he gasped as his mother used the grip on his hair to pull him down onto the bed, the hand on his chest moving to tighten around his throat.

“Mama, you're hurting me.” She mocked, fingers slowly tightening as Carlos gave a choked cry, struggling under her grip. Cruella wasn't a large woman, but she held a strength in her that always surprised Carlos when it came time for his punishments. He tried to push her away, hands pressing against her stomach and shoving as hard as he could to little avail, the woman turning to hover over him, one knee moving to press against his chest to pin him to the bed as her fingers clutched his neck tighter, her full weight pressing against him. “Have you been to see her in your time there? Has she asked about me?” Carlos’ eyes widened as his air flow became more restricted, his hands scrambling to pull at the hand attempting to crush his throats as his mother continued to talk. “She would like you, I’d think. She has a soft spot for spotty little runts, and you're covered in the damn things.” He struggled to pull in a full breath, the grip on his throats too tight and the knee on his chest pushing too hard as he tried to throw her off of him. He’d made a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake and he wanted Jay, wanted Diego, someone to help him. 

“Ma…” his plea was little more that a wheezy gasp for air, his vision spotting as Cruella held her grip tight around his neck. Cruella cackled, releasing his neck suddenly and shifting slightly, Carlos taking a large inhale of breath before he started coughing, harsh and chest deep.

“Of course, you can't talk if you can't breath, what was I thinking! Have you seen her? Speak, you mongrel!” She barked the words at him, and he stared at her in confusion, tears trickling down his cheeks at the tight, hot burn in his throat, his lungs.

“Seen who?” Everything was fuzzy, the room wavy in a way he hadn't felt in nearly six months, and he gave another weak cough. 

“Anita, you fool! Have you been to see Anita?” Carlos frowned, confusion written across his face as he tried to concentrate.

“Why would I see her?” It hurt to breath, let alone talk, and he gasped in pain as Cruella leant forward, knee pressing hard into his chest again as she lashed out at him, nails burying into soft skin before she slapped his, the noise echoing in the quiet of the room before Cruella grasped his threat again with an almost animalistic snarl, her nails scraping across his face and digging into the skin.

“She is the reason you were born, you...you…” she let out a cry, her other hand moving to join the first as Carlos tried to gasp in some air, his nails scratching at the arms pinning him down. “Disgusting, horrid creature! You can't do anything properly, can you? You came out all wrong, all wrong!” Carlos wanted to sob, but he couldn't get the air to; tears leaking down his face as his struggles slowly began to weaken, his vision fading out as his mother continued yelling at him. He knew that giving in the the slowly encroaching darkness meant certain death, but he couldn't keep his focus, his hands barely able to grasp at bone thin wrists, his lungs unable to pull anything in….

“What the fuck are you doing? Get off of him, you're killing him!” 

Suddenly, the hands flew from his throat and he shivered, trying to intake air as the burning, pressing suffocation lessened a fraction. He could hear noises around him as the weight on his chest suddenly disappeared, and someone hovered over him, warm hands touching his body hesitantly as a low voice rumbled over him.

“Carlos? Carlos, fuck, c’mon say something baby boy, fucking breath, call me a cunt I don't care just do something, I didn’t raise no quitter fucking- you stay right fucking there you goddamn lunatic, I will slit your throat if you so much as fucking twitch do you hear me?” Shuddering, Carlos weakly rolled onto his side, gasping and coughing as he clutched at his chest and throat, phantom fingers still holding him tight in their grasp. He heard a whisper of relief, and the warm hands moved to gently roll him onto his back again, feather light touches to his throats and chest causing him to whimper at the pain they brought. “Fucking harpy, god, I'm sorry, C. I wasn't here and she got you, Jesus, look at your face. Fuck.” He wanted to tell his cousin that it wasn’t his fault; he had told Carlos not to seek out Cruella, but he had anyways. He tried to speak, but his throat felt raw, as though he’d been screaming for days at the top of his lungs, and all that came out was a harsh wheeze. “Don’t try to talk, shit, hold on. I’m gunna pick you up, okay? I’ll be gentle but it’s probably still gunna hurt pretty bad, I’m sorry C.” Carlos gave a small nod, attempting to brace himself as strong arms curled around him. It hurt, and he gave a raspy whine as Diego lifted him from the bed, pausing just long enough to kick the curled up form of Cruella on the floor before moving out the door, long strides taking him down the stairs and into his bedroom. 

“Sorry.” Even the barely rasped out single word burned his throat, and Diego made a shushing noise as he gently placed his cousin on his bed. 

“Hey, no talking. She really did a number on you, Carlos, and I’m worried she hurt you pretty bad. You gotta lay still and let me look you over, okay? Okay C?” Carlos gave a small nod, letting Diego move him as he checked his throat, gentle fingers pressing against the damaged skin of his throat with gentle prods and strokes. “It’s pretty swollen, there’s going to be some nasty bruising...can you open your mouth?” Carlos gave a small nod, opening his mouth for Diego to try and position for the dim light of the room to hit his mouth. Diego made a discontented noise, gently releasing his cousin’s chin before moving on, tugging Carlos’ shirt up some to reveal the already dark bruise spreading over the younger teens chest and sides. “Shit. I think she might have broken a rib or two, there’s some pretty bad swelling...man, Jay’s going to absolutely murder me when he gets back.” Carlos reached a shaking hand out, clutching as Diego’s arm to catch his attention some. 

“Me. Not you.” It was a struggle, and Diego’s frown deepened as he placed his fingers over Carlos’ lips, effectively shutting him up. 

“Dude I told you not to talk, you’re going to do more damage to your throat if you do. And yes me, he left you here because I promised to take care of you and then ten minutes later I come home to your mom trying to murder you. You never should have come back here, you should have stayed in Auradon where it’s safe.” Carlos shook his head, opening his mouth to say more, and Diego shook his head. “What did I literally just say? Hold on, I think I still have that white board and marker set up you made when we were trying to figure out blueprints for the Shack. “ Moving to a pile of items stacked on his desk, Diego pulled out a small whiteboard and what resembled a homemade dry erase marker. 

**I did this to myself, you shouldn’t get the blame.**

Diego scowled, moving to grab some medical supplies before moving to sit on the bed, careful not to jostle the injured teen too much as he started assessing and wrapping his ribs. 

“You did not do this to yourself, don’t even start that bullshit. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Cruella’s. What the fuck set her off?” Carlos attempted a shrug, and Diego rubbed his arm soothingly as the younger teen whimpered at the wave of pain that rolled over him at the motion. 

**I’m not Anita**

Diego frowned at the words written across the board as he taped the wrapping job, prodding a few of the already deep purple bruises dotting down his side carefully to assess the damage. 

“Well obviously you’re not Anita, Carlos.” He paused, giving his cousin a long, hard look before leaning up in his space, eyes narrowed as he really looked at Carlos. “Do you feel nauseous? Light headed still? Headache? Your eyes are bright fucking red, jesus, did she break blood vessels?” Carlos nodded, and Diego gave a soft sigh, reaching to gently rub just under Carlos’ ears, the younger teen closing his eyes and humming softly at the soothing sensation. Silence settle between them as Diego’s fingers stopped their movements to pick up the small half empty bottle of rubbing alcohol to pour some onto a slightly clean cloth to press against the long, thin slices going down the left side of Carlos’ face. “Her nails got you really good, C...this is going to hurt a lot, but it’s gotta get clean, okay?” Carlos nodded, biting his lip as Diego worked the cloth over his face. Once Diego was satisfied that the wounds were cleaned, he shifted Carlos some, slowly raising him up to place the bundles of clothing and tattered blankets he used as pillows under him. 

**Feels better.**

It hurt to really move, but his breathing came a bit easier sitting slightly upright, and Carlos offered Diego a small smile as the older teen settled beside him after putting the cloth and the bottle down on his side table. 

“You really shouldn’t have gone looking for her, Carlos. You knew she was worse, you knew she wasn’t going to be shitting rainbows at you being back...why didn’t you just stay with dad or come in my room?” Diego frowned as he spoke, his gaze steadily on his hands until Carlos tapped his shoulder, shoving the whiteboard into his lap before rolling carefully onto his side. Diego looked at the board, his stomach dropping slightly at the words written across it before setting it aside, turning to curl up against his cousin, one arm loosely draped over him as though to protect him further. “It doesn’t matter, C. I love you, and so does Jay and the others. That’s what matters. Okay?” The words were softly spoken, and Diego could only tighten his grip slightly as the body curled up beside him began to shake almost subtly, silent tears disappearing into the pillow under Carlos’ head. 

**I just wanted my mom to love me.**


	10. Chapter 10

Auradon Prep was eerily quiet when the students were in their classrooms. Jay slipped into the main hallway, glancing at the clock that sat above the entryway to the classrooms wing of the school. It was nearly ten; and while he had left early enough to miss the hustle of students moving between their morning classes, it meant that he would have to try to find Ben in whichever class he was at. He knew that Ben’s first class was usually in the Arts wing- Mal usually walked with him from breakfast since she had Posing and Painting first thing- and he suspected it had something to do with classic art review, but other than that he had no clue where the king could be. Slipping into the art department’s hallway, he peered into the first room, spotting a familiar purple haired head and ducking towards the next door. There was no need for Mal to see him if he could help it; he could only imagine how upset the girls would be at the two of them leaving on their own, and he wanted to get Ben on his side before attempting to tackle Mal and Evie. Peeking into the next room, he spotted Doug and Ben settled at the back of the class, and he gave a sigh of relief. Knocking on the door, he pushed it open, offering the teacher an innocent smile as all eyes moved to him.

“Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I need to speak to Ben. It's really important, can’t wait.” The teacher frowned, waving Ben towards the door, and Ben glanced at his books in a silent question. Jay nodded and Ben gathered his things, making his way silently to the door to follow Jay down the hall some before reaching out to grab the ex-thief by the arm, a stern look on his face.

“Jay, seriously, what the hell.” Jay shot him a surprised look at the curse, and Ben’s frown deepened. “Mal and Evie are furious, and frankly I'm deeply disappointed. You and Carlos should have asked us for help, not gone off on your own. What were you thinking?” Jay winced, running a hand through his hair as he gave Ben a sheepish look.

“I wanted to tell you guys, Ben. But he was going to go on his own, what was I supposed to do, let him go back there alone? I didn't have a whole lot of choices available to me.” Ben took a slow, calming breath before letting go of Jay's arm, the tensions leaking from him some as he deflated slightly. 

“Okay. Okay, I can understand your logic. But Carlos should have known better, so I'm going to have some very stern words with him. Is he up in your room? Did you guys get Diego?” Jay anxiously shifted from foot to foot, nervous for Ben's reaction to his next words.

“Carlos is still on the Isle. Diego refuses to come over without his band mates, and C won't come home without Diego. I can't bring back five people on a scooter. I need the limo.” Ben’s eyes widened slightly, and he let his bag slip from his hands as he took in the words.

“You left Carlos on the Isle?” Jay shot him a dark look, pointing a finger at him as he scowled.

“I didn't leave him anywhere, he refused to come back and Diego promised to look after him. I figure, the guy's been taking care of Carlos for his entire life, there's no one safer to leave him with I bet. Now are you going to help me or not, Ben?” The two stared at each other a long moment before Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I can't just give you the limo whenever you want Jay, this has got to stop. You've got until tonight to go get them, it has to be back in the garage before then. And you have to deal with the girls when you get back. It's taking all my energy to keep them from running off to the Isle too, not to mention I had to lie to Fairy Godmother about where the two of you ran off to so you wouldn't get in trouble for missing class.” Jay felt a wave of guilt roll over him, and he reached out to grasp Ben’s arm in a firm grip, giving him a worried look.

“I'm sorry we keep putting you in this position, Ben. It's...not fair of us, after everything you've done for us. And I promise, I'll have a long talk with Carlos about it, because he's clearly not thinking straight if he didn't consider what sort of position taking off into the night puts you in.” Ben gave a soft sigh, clasping his hand onto Jays as he gave him a small smile.

“Look, I know that neither of you would have done it if it weren't important. And frankly, I'm...worried about Carlos. The way he was acting the other day...I want to make sure he's okay. So take the limo, bring back everyone and we can all sit down and see what we can figure out for him. Maybe having his cousin here will help him.” Jay gave him a grateful look, and Ben's smile widened. “Do you want me to come with you? In case they have any questions or...just to have a friendly face along for the drive?” Jay couldn't help the smile at Ben's eager expression, shaking his head slightly as he chuckled.

“Dude you have a serious addiction to going to dangerous places for royalty. I mean, it's your ride man, if you wanna come you can...but don't you have meetings and stuff to go to?” Ben shook his head, leaning to pick his bag back up to sling over his shoulder.

“Nah, councils out for the rest of the week unless there's an emergency, and I'm not taking audience until Friday this week. Besides, this is sort of like an emissary mission, right? Totally king business.” Jay snorted, turning on his heel to start down the hall towards the building's entrance.

“You just can't resist the sweet siren call of adventure, admit it. Secretly, you're a VK at heart.” Ben smirked, taking the words as the compliment they were intended as, and Jay couldn't help the wide grin that stretched across his face. 

“I don't know, the pirate life looked pretty exciting. Life out on the sea, no one to answer to…” Jay groaned, and Ben laughed as he slapped his back playfully. “Don't worry, I'd make a terrible pirate man. I enjoy taking showers too much.” Snickering, the two turned the corner to exit the Arts wing, bantering between them as they headed towards the garage.

-=-=-

“Carlos, I need you to wake up. Come on, open up them big old eyes, baby boy, or I'm gunna start worrying way more than I already am.” Carlos gave a low, pained whine, his right hand twitching slightly as Diego very carefully pat his uninjured cheek. The younger teen had been asleep- or, Diego strongly suspected, unconscious- for nearly three hours, the only sign he was still alive the occasional whine, wheeze or twitch that came from him. He began to worry when loud yelling from the alley just outside his window failed to awaken the usually light sleeper, and Diego had taken it upon himself to wake up his cousin as carefully as possible. He’d already gone back to his aunt's room and locked the woman in, threatening his father with harsh words that he was not to let the woman out under any circumstances while Carlos was still on the Isle. 

“Come on, Carlos. I need you to open your eyes and look at me. You're scaring me now, Cuz.” Brown eyes blinked open and Diego hissed in a sharp breath at the blood red scleras, broken blood vessels all around the sliver of iris visible beyond too-dilated pupils. “You with me, dude?” Brows furrowed in confusion, and Carlos opened his mouth to speak, his words little more than painful sounding wheezes. Diego frowned, gently pressing his fingers to his cousin's mouth to stop him from trying to talk. “Carlos, don't try to talk. Your throats in really bad shape and I don't want you to hurt yourself more. I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to just nod or shake your head. Okay?” Carlos gave a small nod, and Diego gave him a small smile before taking a shaky breath, preparing himself. He knew he had to test his cousin to make sure Cruella hadn't caused any brain damage; he had no idea how long she'd been strangling the smaller teen before he'd arrived, and he worried that he might have more damage than initially thought.

“Okay. Do you know where you are?” Carlos gave a small look around and nodded, and Diego reached to take his hand to press Carlos’ fingers to his palm. “Okay, I want you to trace the first letter of your answer in my palm for this one. Are you in Auradon, or are you on the Isle?” A shaking finger traced an I on his palm, and Diego nodded. “Do you remember my name?” Carlos nodded again, carefully tracing the letters of Diego's name with a small smile. “Awesome! Do you remember the name of Auradon’s current king?” Carlos frowned slightly, taking a few long minutes before tracing a shaky B-E-N. “Yeah dude, you got it. Alright, do you know how old you are?” Carlos nodded, reaching to trace the number fifteen on his hand carefully. “Great, you're doing great C. Okay, do you remember who you came back to the Isle with yesterday?” There was a long moment of silence, Carlos’ finger pressed into Diego’s palm hard as he tried to remember exactly who he had been with. After several minutes, he traced a hesitant J, brow furrowed slightly. Diego gave him what he hoped was a convincing smile, nodding slightly as he squeezed Carlos’ hand. “Okay. Do you remember what happened to you this morning?” His words were soft, and though he knew he shouldn't, a part of Diego hoped Carlos didn't remember. He released his cousin's hand, letting the younger teen take his time to answer. Carlos let his eyes close, trying to focus on what had happened, and Diego took the time to really look over his cousin’s face and neck. 

Cruella’s nails had ripped across the soft skin of his face leaving three long, angry looking gouges across his cheek and just under his left eye. The skin around it was dark with bruises, and Diego cursed the fact that every time Carlos’ face so much as twitched the cuts reopened, bleeding sluggishly. He’d regained no colour to his skin in his time unconscious, his face still looking far too grey for Diego's liking under his freckles, and the blood vessels in his eyes had burst to the point of the younger teen looked as though his eyes were little more than two pupils floating in blood. His gaze settled on Carlos’ throat; dark, sickly bruises in tight rings encircled his neck, scratches from too-long nails where Cruella’s hands had tightened to a point where her nail tips had cut into the teens flesh visible even under the bruises and angry red swelling. The swelling worried Diego more than the bruising; he could hear the raspy, painful wheezes every time his cousin took a breath and he worried that Carlos’ vocal box might have been damaged, that the damage to his throat would prevent him from breathing if the swelling got worse.

Carlos tapped his hand lightly, catching his attention again and causing him to turn his gaze to Carlos’ eyes. Holding out his hand, his frown deepened as Carlos carefully traced C-R-U-E-L-L-A against his palm. He couldn't recall a time Carlos hadn't called his aunt mom; even after some of her more savage punishments, Carlos had always referred to her as his mother. He gave a nod and Carlos moved his hand to gently touch the skin on his neck, leaning back in the pile of items keeping him partially upright on the bed. 

“I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop her, Carlos.” Carlos glanced up at him from where he had been staring at a spot on the wall across from him, brows furrowed before he gestured for Diego to hand him the whiteboard, his handwriting shakier than before.

**You can't always be there.**

Diego frowned, shaking his head. “No, but you were here, in my house. I should have been here to do something. I should have done something the first time she hit you when we were kids.” Carlos’ expression softened, and he reached out to gently take Diego's hand, squeezing his fingers before picking up the board again.

**You'd have been five.**

Diego gave him a pinched off look, and Carlos shifted as best his injured chest would let him, leaning against his cousin.

**You're here now. You protect me when you can. That's more than most people.**

Diego sighed, looping an arm around Carlos’ should to pull him against his side, resting his cheek against the top of his cousins head.

“And that's fucked up. Don't you think that's fucked up, C? I shouldn't have to protect you. You should be safe in your own home. I fucking hate this place.” Carlos nuzzled his head against Diego’s face, and Diego snorted. “Alright. Okay, I get it. You just...you deserve better, Carlos. Than all this. I don't want you to ever think you deserved anything she did to you, okay? You deserve better than this.” Carlos gave him a small smile, pressing closer as he gave a pained little hum, writing on his board again.

**We all deserve better than this**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Minor discussion of abuse of power on Ben's behalf. Discussion of child abuse. Mentions of non-con relations between a twelve year and a fifteen year old, emphasis on the younger being in the relationship because he sees it as his having no other choice and the older not 100% realizing it wasn't consensual. 
> 
> Also, Harry's not really that bad a person, he just does bad things. (Gil is a precious cinnamon roll though.)
> 
> (If I wrote a Gil centric story about how Gil became a pirate would that interest anyone?)

The only time Ben had been to the Isle, he had been too focused on bringing Mal home to really take in the realism of what his father had truly done in trapping the villains and their offspring on the Isle for twenty years. As Jay lead him through the streets, Ben took in the scattered people and the lack of good...anything, that the Isle had. The people looked on edge and haggard, rough and wary of those around them and it tugged at the King. Many of the people roaming down the streets were his age or younger; angry and careful in everything they did. 

“I'm going to fix this.” He muttered as Jay steered him towards a large Victorian house, eyes glancing over the uneven ground at the trash littering the streets. “Where are Carlos and his cousin at?” Jay gestured at the house they were approaching, and Ben nodded as the ex-thief reached the door.

“This is Diego's place, de Vil Manor. His dad’s probably home, but Cecil’s pretty chill and usually in his office so just...keep your head down, and your hood up. And for evils sake, dude, don't talk. Everyone on the Isle can tell you’re not from here when you open your mouth.” Ben wrinkled his nose in offense, but remained silent as Jay knocked loudly on the door, the two standing on the doorstep as they waited for the door to open, revealing a tall, slim man who looked down his nose at the two, holding open the door and gesturing them in.

“Jay, come in. Diego is in his room, go on.” Jay nodded, slipping past Cecil to lead Ben down the hall and towards a closed door. Ben followed, keeping his head down as he passed the older man, and paused with Jay outside the door. Jay knocked, leaning against the door slightly to press his face close.

“Diego? It's me, open up.” There was a long moment of silence before the door cracked open, a tanned face appearing to stare at them carefully before opening the door more. Ben noted that Diego de Vil looked a lot like his cousin; slim, lithe muscled body, though taller than himself and Jay. White and black hair was shaved into a Mohawk, and a thin scar ran over the older teens nose.

“Jay.” The name was whispered, and Diego nodded to the bed before bringing his finger to his lips, slipping out the door to close it and stand in the hallway. He shot a look at Ben, giving a half nod towards him. “King Ben. Carlos is resting.” His expression held concern, and Ben frowned.

“What did she do.” Jay’s voice, harsh with emotion, startled Ben slightly and Diego seemed to deflate some as he leant against the door.

“I shouldn't have left him here with her. I should have known he'd go looking for her, Jay.” Jay’s expression darkened, and he shifted awkwardly as though willing himself not to grab Diego by the shirt.

“What did she do, Diego.” Diego ran a hand over his face, giving a soft groan before letting his head fall back against the door. His hand drifted to his neck, and he fixed Jay with a look.

“He wasn't breathing when I got in the room. She was holding him down, had her hands around his throat...I fucking had to knock her out to pull her off him, Jay. I thought he was dead.” Jay closed his eyes, taking a slow breath as Ben reached out to steady him some with a hand on his shoulder.

“We should have insisted he come with us. Why didn't we make him come with us?” Ben squeezed his shoulder, and Jay cast him a glance before returning his attention to Diego.

“Is he hurt badly?” Ben asked quietly, letting his hand drop from Jay’s shoulder to hang at his side. Diego gave a half-hearted shrug before turning his gaze to the ceiling, unwilling to look at Jay as he spoke.

“She clawed up his face pretty bad. His throat...it doesn't look so good, it's swollen badly and super bruised, he can't really talk at all and frankly I'm not letting him. I'm worried she did worse damage than I can really tell. Usually C self diagnoses his injuries before I take care of them, you know? So I'm not really sure how bad his throat is, but it's bad. She was kneeling on his chest, I'm pretty sure he has a few broken ribs and he's struggling to get some good deep breaths. It’s a lot of wet sounding wheezes right now. He's a little disoriented every time he wakes up, and I…” he trailed off a moment, blinking a few times as though trying to keep from tearing up. “I don't think he's sleeping. I think he just keeps...passing out. He feels really hot, and he’s woken up maybe three times since the first time, and he just...I just. Jay.” He brought his gaze down to meet Jay’s, eyes glistening slightly with unshed tears. “I seriously don't know what to do, I'm scared as shit. I thought he was okay, but I don't know anything about this shit. I don't know if he's bleeding internally or if he has brain damage or...or whatever. He came back for me and he shouldn’t have, not if this happened.” The trio fell into silence for a long moment before Ben cleared his threat.

“We have doctors at the school who will know what to do. If he's been waking up, that's good, right? Mean’s he might be okay. But the sooner we get everyone together and get him back to Auradon, the better.” Jay and Diego nodded, and Jay gestured to the door.

“I'll stay with him if you want to go get Aren, Edith and Eli. Get them, come back and we’ll leave. Where’s Cruella?” Diego nodded towards the stairs, and Jay nodded, a firm look on his face as Diego shifted to move past him. “Ben, stay with me. We don't need word getting out that you're back on the Isle.” Ben nodded, and Diego gave a half look back at the door before taking off down the hall to leave the house. Jay watched him a moment before pushing the door open, two two teens entering the room before pulling the door closed behind them.

“Oh, god.” Ben’s voice was soft as they approached the bed, taking in the sight of Carlos laid out on the bed before them. Jay stopped at the side of the bed, hesitating over the smaller teen as he took in the injuries with a sour look on his face. 

“I'm going to kill her. Ben, you might as well arrest me now, because I'm going to absolutely murder her and I won't even feel bad about it. Look at his fucking throat.” Ben winced as his eyes fell on the harsh bruising, tracing over the cuts and swelling as he curled his hands into fists at his sides.

“I might just let you.” Jay shot him a look of surprise, and Ben flashed him a crooked, dark smile. “In fact, I might help. Besides, the king doesn’t have the proper authority to arrest someone in Auradon, just final say in the trial. And I don’t think the ruling would go in her favor.” Jay snorted, moving to sit gently on the side of the bed.

“She’d deserve it. Bitch.” Carlos shifted slightly, giving a small whine as his face scrunched up in pain. Jay placed a gentle hand on the smaller teens stomach, frowning at the heat rolling off of him as he gave Carlos a slight shake. “C? Carlos, wake up dude.” It took a moment for confused brown eyes to open, casting a lost look around before landing on Jay and Ben. Carlos opened his mouth, letting out a painful sounding wheeze, and Jay hurried to press a hand over his mouth. “Hey, no, don't try to talk. It's okay, I'm here now and I’m gunna take care of you okay?” Ben cleared his throat, and Jay smiled some. “And Ben's here, too. He said I can murder your mom, diplomatic immunity yeah?” Carlos blinked slowly, his eyes moving from Jay to Ben and back, and Jay reached out to brush his fingers lightly over the cuts on Carlos’ cheek. 

“We’re going to get you to a doctor, Carlos. Diego went to get his band mates, and then we’re going to go to the docks to get the limo and leave, okay? But I think it would be good if you tried to stay awake until then.” Carlos gave a small nod at Ben’s words, sucking in a breath as the smallest movement brought pain to his chest. Reaching out, he grasped at Ben’s hand, turning it to draw letters in his palm slowly. W-T-E-B-R-D. Ben glanced around, spotting a whiteboard on the floor beside the bed. Bending to pick it up, he handed it to Carlos assuming that was what he had meant as the smaller teen dug a marker out from under the blanket.

**Hurts**

Ben winced, both at the shaky handwriting and the word, casting a look at Jay before moving to sit on the other side of the bed, placing a gentle hand on Carlos’ leg. “I can imagine it does. I don't have anything to make it hurt less right now...I'm sorry.” He frowned, glancing at Jay, and the other teen shifted on the bed to rub lightly at Carlos’ shoulder. 

“Tell me if I hurt you, okay? Is this more of a Harry ‘s hook sort of situation, or a Gaston Jr and the trash bin one?” Carlos bit his lip, marker moving across the board.

**Hook**

Jay nodded, deft fingers working gently over Carlos’ chest as he tried to rub away some of the soreness. Carlos gave a soft whine as he shifted slightly closer, letting his eyes close as Ben took his hand. 

“Hey, I said no falling asleep, remember?” Ben teased, squeezing Carlos’ hand and receiving a squeeze back instead. N-O-T was traced over his palm, and Ben gave a small smile. “I bet Dude misses you, man. Are you excited to go back and see him?” Jay shot him a grateful look, glad that Ben was trying to distract Carlos and keep him awake. Y-E-S was drawn, and Ben chuckled. “We’ll be back in Auradon in no time, Carlos. You’re alright.” The hand in his squeezed again, and Jay took up the conversation as he gently rolled Carlos’ shirt up his stomach and chest to look at the almost black bruise that spread over his friends torso. 

“Is there anything here worth bringing back? Anything you want from the treehouse?” Carlos shook his head, and Jay brought his fingers up to stroke soft lines just under the nasty bruising of Carlos’ neck. Ben glanced back towards the door as footsteps sounded outside, half standing as the door opened suddenly. 

“It’s just me, guys. Well. And the band.” Diego’s form slipped through the door as three others followed him into the room, lugging instrument cases and backpacks. Diego moved to the bed, frowning deeply at the still visible bruise before Jay rolled Carlos’ shirt back down, rubbing his stomach gently as he glanced up at the older teen. 

“You guys all set?” Diego nodded at Jay’s question, and behind him Eli set his guitar case down, moving hesitantly to the side of the bed to look over Carlos. 

“Shit, C. Has it always been this bad?” Carlos blinked tired eyes at him, giving the smallest of nods as he attempted to sit up. Four sets of hands darted out to help, slowly raising him up and holding him as he shifted to find the most comfortable position. Reaching for the whiteboard again, he scrawled messily on it, the movements bringing shooting pain down his sides and across his chest. 

**Wanna go home**

Ben nodded firmly, hesitating momentarily as Jay slid to stand from the bed, unsure of how to proceed. 

“Carlos, can you walk at all?” Carlos gave a determined nod, shifting to attempt to stand, and Ben immediately pressed a hand to the younger teens chest at the harsh gasp of pain that escaped him with the small movement. “No, hey, if it hurts that bad don’t try okay? I’m pretty sure that between Jay and I, we can carry you.” He glanced at Jay, who gave a firm nod. 

“Ben will carry you. Diego and the others have to carry their shit, and someone has to have their hands free if someone decides to stir some shit up while we go to the limo.” Ben nodded, leaning to scoop Carlos into his arms as gently as possible, and Jay moved to take point as the group started out the door. Diego paused outside of his father’s office, holding up a hand for them to stop momentarily as he poked his head in. 

“Hey, dad?” Cecil looked up from the papers he had been scanning through, nodding for his son to enter the room, and Diego made his way to the desk, standing awkwardly to the side. “I’m leaving now. I just wanted to, uh, say bye.” Cecil set down his papers, moving to stand and place a hand on his son’s shoulder, giving him a good long look. 

“Diego...I know I’ve never outright said it, but I am proud of you, and I am going to miss you.” Diego gave a small smile, reaching to pat the hand on his shoulder as he gave a small nod at his father’s words. “The two of you stick together with your friends. I don’t want one of those guards showing up on my doorstep to tell me that something’s happened to you, do you understand?” Another nod, and Cecil pulled Diego in for an awkward hug before releasing him, gesturing for him to leave. “Good. Go on then, I’m sure your ride is waiting.” Diego cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he shifted on his feet. 

“I’ll miss you too, dad. You've always been absent, but you're not a bad parent...thank you for that. I’ll try to get some good stuff sent over for you, okay?” Cecil nodded and Diego stared at him a moment, taking in the sight of his father before turning to slip back out the door to rejoin the others. “Okay. We can go now.” Ben nodded, shifting Carlos in his arms as the group headed out the door and into the street. Eli moved to flank the king, eyes darting from the street to the younger teen in Ben's arms in concern, while Edith and Aren took the opposite side, blocking them from being seen by the few people scattered about the street. Most of the kids their age were at school, and those who were skipping typically spent their time at the Slop Shop or out in Bargain Castle during the day, so most of the people roaming the roads were adults too interested in their own business to care about the group heading towards the docks. Jay’s eyes were sharp, watching for any sudden movements towards them, Diego bringing up the rear as they moved as one. 

“We’ve got pirates.” Jay hissed as they rounded the corner to where they had hidden the limo, and Diego switched places with Aren to watch the two pirates casually leaning against the still hidden vehicle. 

“Ahoy, Jay, Diego. Other...weird music kids. And where might you be heading to? Without your little lost puppy, I’ll note.” Harry’s voice was loud enough to echo off of the walls around them, and Jay’s fists tightened at his side as he took a step towards the limo. 

“We’re just leaving, so you can kindly fuck off.” Diego’s voice cut through the tension between them, and Harry gave a chuckle as he pushed himself off of the limo, Gil moving to slide down from where he’d pulled himself up to sit on the roof. 

“You can kindly fuck off yourself, de Vil. Where’s your cousin? I have some unfinished business with him before you leave.” Diego’s expression darkened, and he surged forward quicker than Jay could react, grabbing Harry by his shirt to shove him hard into the side of the car. 

“The last thing I’m going to do is let you anywhere near Carlos, Hook. After what you’ve done to him? Everything you put him through? You’re never getting near him again.” Harry grasped the hands fisted in his shirt, his smirk falling as he shoved Diego backwards hard enough to put some space between them. 

“What I did to him? What I did to him was nothing compared to what he did to me! I offered him the whole seas, to be in our crew, and he picked that street rat and his little gang instead! He left me.” Gil placed a hand on Harry’s arm, tugging him back slightly, and Diego swung hard, his fist colliding with Harry’s chin and sending him sprawling. 

“He was twelve, Hook! Fucking twelve years old! He was twelve and scared of his mother beating him to death, god, you’re no better than your bastard of a father!” Silence fell over the group, a heavy wheezing noise coming from the teen tucked against Ben’s chest, and Harry frowned as he took a step back. 

“What, Cruella? She’s crazy, but I don’t think she’d kill him, de Vil. And he was old enough to beg me for it, to want to stay with me.” Diego scowled, taking a few steps back to pull Ben forward, Carlos face buried in the king’s shoulder, wheezing and shaking. 

“Really? Because she tried to this morning. Wrapped her hands around his fucking neck and squeezed until he wasn’t breathing any more. And it’s not the first time she’s almost killed him, so of course he’d let you do what you wanted, when the alternative was death.” Harry took a few steps towards them, paling as Carlos shifted just enough in Ben's hold for the dark rings around his neck to be more visible. 

"I didn't know...Diego, I didn't know." Harry's words were the quietest Diego had heard him ever, and the pirate ran his hook-free hand through his hair as he began to pace back and forth.

“Jesus.” Gil’s voice was soft as he stepped towards Harry, whose eyes remained on Carlos’ neck, a thick tendril of guilt wrapping around his throat and preventing him from speaking. Diego ran a hand through his hair and took a shaky breath as beside him, Jay stepped forward. 

“We’re taking him back to Auradon. You can either move and let us go, or we can fight about it, but he’s hurt, possibly bad. If you ever had any sort of feelings for him you’ll step aside, Harry.” Harry swallowed, hard, before turning slightly to look at Gil. 

“I thought it was just a dream. She held him down on the bed, right?” He cast a look at Diego, eyes wide. “Knee to the chest, hard enough that something cracked?” Diego’s frown grew, and Harry skittered backwards slightly, looking spooked. “I saw it. I saw her strangling him, I thought I’d just been dreaming this morning. I’ve been having a lot of daydreams since you lot came back to look for Mal, and they’ve all been about Pup. What the bloody hell is going on?” Jay and Diego exchanged a look, and behind them Ben cleared his throat.

“Why don’t you come with us to find out? We really need to go. Carlos just passed out again.” All eyes turned to the king, and Harry have a half nod, glancing at the limo. 

“Alright. But only because I want to know what the hell is going on.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: Medical scenes, in particular one where needles are involved. Uhhh...what else...this is my longest chapter yet, whoo! This story isn't even 1/3 of the way done and I think it might be the longest thing I've written, haha. I hope everyone's still enjoying it. Also Doc Sweets is the best doctor, and also tied for second favorite character in Atlantis with Dimitri (the first is Audrey 100% here for her bless her tiny, violent heart)

Gil LeGume had never been inside of a vehicle in his life. 

Well, technically that was untrue- the Revenge was, in all rights, a vehicle. They’d only had the initial voyage in the ship, when they had sought out the trident, before it had more or less sunk; Harry’s dad had pulled the ship from the depths with the Jolly Roger to be brought back to the docks for repairs, but they hadn’t had the resources to fix it fully quite yet and the ship sat on the makeshift dry dock that had been assembled awaiting repair since. The limo they sat in was no ship, though- he’d of course heard of Cruella’s precious car, had even helped Carlos clean the monstrosity once or twice back before, when Harry had trailed after the younger teen like a lust struck puppy (Gil always thought it had been sort of cute, to be honest, but Uma had hated it, had hated Carlos with a weird sort of passion the blond had never understood.) with more bite than bark. It had been almost seven months of bitter kisses and secret meet ups, quick and terrible and leaving them all with a bitter taste in their mouths when Carlos had simply disappeared for three months after Cruella had caught him one day with Harry and Gil at the docks instead of doing his room length list of chores. Harry had assumed that the boy had decided he was too good for them, and when the younger teen had started hanging out with Mal and her crew it had sealed his fate as betrayer in Harry’s mind. Gil had always thought that Harry had buried the few remaining emotions he had remaining for the youngest de Vil in favour of himself and Uma, but now…

Well. He wasn’t so certain, now, watching Harry hover next to the Auradon king, his eyes fixed on Carlos’ face as Diego gently ran a handkerchief dampened with some bottled water against the boy’s cheeks, watching him with a worried look on his face. The rest of the Bad Apples sat huddled on the opposite side of the seats, eyes on him as he shifted to take some of the brightly coloured treats the limo offered. He offered the trio of musicians a warm smile, leaning forward some as he popped one of the small round candies into his mouth.

“I saw your guys’ last show, it was really great.” The girl narrowed her eyes at him, as though unbelieving that he would have anything good to say about their show, and he swallowed quickly before offering a more honest smile. “Call Me Never has to be one of my favourite songs, to be honest. Uma always hated it, but I think it’s great.” The trio exchanged a look before the red haired teen gave him a small nod.

“Thanks, uh, buddy. I’m Aren, and this is Edith and Eli. You’re Gil right?: Gil nodded, and Aren gave him a small smile. “It’s always nice to meet a fan I guess.” All eyes turned towards the other end of the car as Diego gave a curse, handing Harry the cloth before trying to sit Carlos upright more as a wet wheezing noise sounded from the youngest. Gil’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Diego struggle to find a position that alleviated the difficulties Carlos seemed to be having breathing, a distressed look on the older de Vil’s face. Gil glanced from Diego to Harry, focusing on the oddly concerned look on his boyfriend’s face before reaching to take the smaller teen from Diego to prop him up in his own arms, one hand pressing gently against Carlos’ chest to feel how the other was taking his breaths, After a moment of adjusting him, he reached to take the cloth, running it slowly over the boy’s forehead. 

“You have to adjust for the three broken ribs putting pressure on the muscle’s around his lungs. I wouldn’t move him too much, could cause a lung puncture.” The group stared at him in disbelief, and he gave a small shrug, holding out the cloth for more water. “My family’s full of really strong people. You learn how to deal with a few broken ribs here and there.” Harry’s expression softened, and Gil flashed him a small smile as he returned his focus to the teen in his lap. “Third broke two ribs during a wrestling match a couple of months ago. The one of them pushed through a section of the muscle around his lungs and he got an infection. Dad thought he was gunna die, but Yen Sid fixed him up pretty good and I got him to show me what to do if it happened again.” He shot Diego a look, noting the paleness and nervous tick in his left cheek. “All we can really do is make him comfortable until we get him to someone who knows more about medicine than we do.” Diego nodded, falling back against the seat to watch the stuttered rise and fall of his cousin’s chest. 

“God, I fucked up. I’m such shit at protecting him, his mom’s always been a terrible human but then there was the whole shit with you-” he fixed Harry with a hard look, “-and he doesn’t deserve this shit.” Jay cleared his throat from the front seat, catching their attention.

“We’re about to cross the barrier. It’s sort of freaky if you aren’t use to it, but it’s all good, I promise.” Eli and Aren pressed their faces to the window as Gil turned his head to watch as they approached the edge of the pier, taking a sharp intake of breath as the car left the wooden path to drive out over the water as if by magic, the barrier opening to let them out as Edith let out a distraught noise, reaching to clutch her brother’s arm. 

“It’s magic.” Ben stated, taking in the expressions surrounding him as he reached to place a gentle hand on Carlos’ shoulder, thumb rubbing softly at the thin material of the younger teen’s shirt in an attempt to comfort him as he let out a small noise of pain. “Or, I guess it’s actually science too, since Carlos’ experiment is what’s opening the barrier, but the limo is magic. You’re all safe in it, I promise. We won’t fall into the ocean.” The king gave Carlos a fond smile as he spoke the words, and from the front Jay tapped the half opened window with his knuckles. 

“We’ll be there in about ten minutes. Ben, we have to take him straight to the infirmary, but after maybe we could get Doug to show everyone to a room and then regroup once we know that C’s gunna be okay?” Jay’s words were sharp, lined with worry as Carlos gave a pained whine from his spot in Gil’s lap as he began to struggle in the larger teen’s hold. Gil frowned, tightening his arms slightly to keep Carlos from moving too much as Harry reached out, running long fingers through the sweat-damp hair plastered to Carlos’ forehead. 

“Shh, Pup. It’s alright, you’re alright. Just keep breathing. Cruella’s not going to hurt you with all of us here, don’t you worry.” There was a softness to Harry’s actions that pulled at Gil, a gentleness that he hadn’t seen in almost a year, and he reached out with the hand closest to Harry’s own to link their fingers together for a short moment. Solidarity in a car full of people who probably didn’t want them there, a quick squeeze of fingers before Gil returned his hand to it’s task of keeping Carlos as still as possible. 

“She’s not the only one who’s hurt him, Hook.” Diego’s voice cut through the quiet that had descended in the cab, bitter and angry even under the concern still hovering around him. Harry shot him a look, bringing his hand back to his lap before shifting in his seat to face the older teen properly, brows furrowed. 

“You know, he came to me. He acted like he wanted to be with me. What, was I supposed to know what was going on with him?” Gil winced slightly as Diego gave an almost growl, and Harry shifted back slightly in his seat, surprised at the sound. 

“You got drunk twice when he asked you not to. You didn’t listen when he said no, you held him down while yo-” Diego’s words were cut off as Gil shoved a hand over his mouth, eyes widening as in his lap Carlos let out an almost gagging sound, pale hands grasping weakly at Gil’s arm. 

“Now is not the time, guys. Harry made mistakes, and he knows that, but right now? There’s a really injured Carlos in my lap and I don’t want the two of you fighting when he can hear you.” He cast a disappointed look at the two, and Diego sank back, face paling as Gil shifted Carlos upright more to give him more ease to breath. Eli leaned across the seats, frowning slightly as he wiped a finger against the corner of Carlos’ mouth, pulling away spit slicked fingers.

“I think he’s having trouble swallowing, he’s starting to drool.” Jay cast a glance back, the words causing his breath to catch in his throat, and Ben grabbed the cloth they’d been using to wipe at his mouth. 

“How long, Jay?” The king’s voice was calm as he pried Carlos’ left eye open gently, frowning at the terrible red lines nearly eradicating the whites of his friends eyes as they sluggishly followed the movement of Ben’s fingers.. 

“About three minutes from the dock. Five from the school. Is he…” The sharp worry in the teen’s voice was enough for Ben to flash him a smile, reaching over Gil to lightly pat the hand resting on the window between the driver's seat and the rest of the car. 

“He’s still breathing, but it’s looking pretty rough for him. I think his throats swelling up more, and his fever’s not getting any better. He seems responsive to visual cues even if he’s not really conscious, which is good I think. His eyes look pretty painful though.” Jay nodded, turning his focus on driving as Edith reached out to grasp Diego’s hand, squeezing it. 

“He’s gunna be okay, D. Nothing can keep Carlos de Vil down, remember?” Diego gave a sharp nod, hand tightening on hers as his eyes remained on his cousin, and Ben turned his attention to the two teens beside him. 

“I don’t want to see any fighting between anyone. I won’t hesitate to separate you if you can’t keep it together while we take care of Carlos. Is that understood?” Harry blinked at the king, giving a small nod as Diego grunted an agreement as well. 

“About to land. Might be a bit bumpy but I’ll do my best.” Jay’s words were stiff, and Ben settled back in his seat as the limo touched down on the docks leading up to the school. Part of him wished he’d remembered to bring his phone so he could call ahead and have Fairy Godmother ready and waiting for them, but he hadn’t seen the point when they’d left earlier that day since the Isle had no reception. Jay steered them towards the school, and Edith, Eli and Aren’s attentions turned to the scenery around them as they approached. 

“Welcome to Auradon, everyone. I wish it was under better circumstances that we’re getting here but...we are happy to have you.” Ben shot a look at Gil and Harry, giving them a nod. “All of you.” Harry returned the nod, his eyes moving from the windows to Gil and the boy he held, a heavy frown on his face as Diego reached out to wrap a hand around Carlos’ own to pull it away from his throat. 

“Did you hear that, C? You got me here, so now you have to be okay so you can gloat about getting me to come over. Okay?” There was no response from the younger teen and Diego took a shaky breath, settling back in his seat as the limo pulled up to the school, several student’s milling around the entrance looking over at the suddenly appearing vehicle. Ben reached to push the door open, stumbling slightly as he exited the limo before catching sight of Doug with the marching band, practicing. 

“Doug, I need you to go get Fairy Godmother and Doc Sweets, immediately, as well as Evie and Mal. It’s Carlos.” Doug cast a confused look towards the limo, and Ben clapped a hand on his shoulder, serious expression on his face. “He’s hurt. Badly.” Doug nodded, shoving his trumpet into one of the other band members arms before turning to rush into the school. Edith, Eli and Aren exited the limo as Jay slid from the driver's seat, rushing to open the door for Gil to pass the younger de Vil out to him. Gil exited next, reaching to help Harry out of the car before wrapping an arm around the pirates waist, Harry’s gaze settling over the school in front of them as Ben closed the limo’s doors after letting Diego out.

“It’s massive.” Harry’s voice was slightly awed, and Ben gave him a half smile as Diego shifted anxiously behind him, hovering over Jay as the ex-thief tried his best not to move too much, wary of jostling the boy in his arms. The group looked up as Fairy Godmother rushed out the main entrance, Doc Sweets two steps behind her as she made her way to the group. 

“Whatever is going on here, your highness? Doug came rushing into my office stating there was an emergency, demanding I call Doc Sweets to the front of the school for help.” Her eyes travelled over the six newcomers with a frown before her eyes landed on Carlos, a gasp escaping her at the sight of the boy. “Benjamin! What in the world happened?” The school doctor pushed his way through the small crowd to gesture Jay forward, offering quiet words of reassurance to the distraught teen as he swept him towards the school in quick steps. 

“Carlos and Jay came to get me off the Isle, uh...ma’am. And then Cruella happened.” Fairy Godmother turned to Diego as he spoke, taking in the teen before turning to glance towards the other five unfamiliar faces. 

“Cruella did this?” She asked, voice hushed as her focus returned to Ben. Ben gave a nod, shifting from one foot to the other as he glanced towards where Mal and Evie were now exiting the school. 

“She did. Diego was there, and...Harry saw it too, through a dream? We’re not sure what really is going on, Fairy Godmother, but...I really have to talk to Mal and Evie before they hear about what happened from someone else. Will you please excuse me for a moment? Diego, you can trust her to help you guys to a place to wait, she won’t do anything to you all. I promise.” Diego stared at the older woman for a long moment before nodding to Ben, deciding that the king had yet to lie to him yet, and gestured for the woman to lead them inside, wary of being too far from his cousin. Ben rushed to Mal, taking her into his arms as he buried his face in her hair, and the two girls exchanged a look before Mal gently rubbed Ben’s back. 

“Ben? Ben, what happened? Doug said something happened to Carlos, that he’s hurt badly?” Evie’s voice wavered as she looked at the group now being led into the school; Diego looked as distraught as she felt, which didn’t bode well with her. Ben took a moment to soak in his girlfriend’s warmth before pulling away to take a steadying breath. 

“Jay came back to get to me to get the limo. When we got back to the Isle, Diego had Carlos in his room...Cruella tried to strangle him to death.” Evie gasped, one delicate hand moving to cover her mouth as Doug slipped an arm around her, and Mal gave a small growl, stiffening in Ben’s arms. 

“Is he…” She couldn’t finish the question, and she visibly relaxed some as Ben rushed to assure her that Carlos was still with them. 

“He’s in the Infirmary now with Jay and Doc Sweets. Diego, his band and Gil and Harry are here too.” Mal’s expression darkened at the mentioning of the two pirates, and Ben squeezed his arms around her some. “Harry’s been seeing...visions, I think, of Carlos. He looked...Mal, he looked devastated when he saw Carlos. I couldn’t just leave him there, not if there’s some sort of connection between the two of them that might affect Carlos.” Mal gave a small nod, understanding where Ben was coming from, and turned to look towards the school. 

“Can we go be with him?” Evie asked, voice small as she edged closer to Mal to grab her hand. Ben nodded; there was no reason they couldn’t at least go wait at the Infirmary while Carlos was being seen to, and he knew that the closeness to their friends would help the two girls calm some. 

“Yeah, that’s why I got Doug to come get you. Figure the Infirmary will be a good place to wait for him, right?” Mal nodded, and Doug wrapped his arms around Evie’s waist to give her a tight hug before the four turned to make their way into the school.

-=-=-=-

“Set him down on the cot gently, Jay. We don’t want any ribs pokin’ into anything they shouldn’t be now.” Sweets gestured to the cot at the back of the infirmary, and Jay followed his instructions before moving to stand to the side, out of the way. The doctor moved to get some things from a cabinet and Jay pulled a chair over to the side of the cot, reaching to take one of Carlos’ hands to bring to his face, pressing his lips to the teens cool fingers as Sweets snapped on some latex gloves.. 

“He’s going to be okay, right?” Jay’s voice was small in the room, his eyes only leaving Carlos’ face when the sound of scissors ripping through fabric caught his attention. Sweets had cut Carlos’ t-shirt off to examine his chest, a deep frown on the older man’s face as he pressed large fingers against Carlos’ skin. 

“Looks like two, maybe three broken ribs. Bad swelling around the lungs, we might have to intubate to relieve pressure and ensure there’s no fluid building up. When did this happen?” He turned to look at Jay, noting the paleness of the teen’s face at his words. 

“Uh...this morning. Between seven and eleven probably?” Sweets nodded, moving to take an ear thermometer to press to Carlos’ ear, waiting for it to beep before pulling it away to read the numbers on it. 

“He’s running quite the fever, which means either the swelling is causing a reaction with the rest of his body or there’s some fluid building in his lungs, which can cause an infection. Can you tell me exactly what happened?” Jay shook his head, frowning as he tightened his hold on Carlos’ hand. 

“I wasn’t there...but Diego was the one who pulled her off. She was strangling him with her hands, he said, and she was kneeling on his chest. He’s woken up a few times but passed back out after maybe twenty minutes the last time? He was sort of out of it when he woke up last, and he’s in a lot of pain. She scratched up his face, too, but I guess you already know that part…” his eyes fell on the cuts on Carlos’ face, frowning as Sweets pressed two fingers against his friend’s side, feeling for something. “Is he gunna need a real doctor? Like, from a hospital? No offense...but he looks really bad, and you’re just the school nurse.” He worried his lower lip as Sweets gave him a look, worried he’d offended the man working to help his friend, and was surprised when the man gave a snort. 

“Son, I am a real doctor. I was a field surgeon in my younger years, then I was a private surgeon for hire. He’s in the best possible hands here, don’t you worry. I’m gunna take real good care of Mr. de Vil.” Jay nodded, lowering his gaze to watch strong, dark hands press along the bruised flesh of Carlos’ stomach. “Now I don’t want to scare you, but he’s hurt pretty badly. We might have to do some minor surgery to make sure that nothing poked through a lung, and we’re probably going to have to intubate him- do you know what that is?” Jay shook his head, reaching to brush some hair from his face as he looked up at the doctor.

“Something with tubes?” He asked, hesitantly, and Sweets gave a chuckle as he continued to run his fingers up along Carlos’ sternum, feeling for anything out of place. 

“Pretty close, yeah. We might have to put a tube in his mouth and down into his lungs to help him breath a bit while he’s recovering. It’ll take the pressure off of his body to do all the hard work of breathing while it’s working on healing, sort of like…” Sweets thought a moment for a good analogy, though Jay interrupted him before he could conceive a good one. 

“Like running an assist on a fumble in Tourney?” Sweets grinned, reaching out to clap the teen on the shoulder with one large hand. 

“Just like that. Carlos’ body is fumbling some with breathing right now, so the tube’s going to do the breathing work for him like a runner would do the work for a goal on the field if the pitch was dropped.” Jay nodded, and Sweets moved to put the stethoscope that had been hanging around his neck on, leaning to press the diaphragm against Carlos’ chest and listening for several moments. Jay watched as a frown curled the man’s lips, eyes following the doctor’s movements as he stood back up to reach for a long, thick needled syringe from the table behind him. HIs eyes widened as Sweets positioned the needle over the left side of Carlos’ chest, and he gave a sharp cry and stood from his seat as the man pushed the needle in quickly, the needle disappearing into soft skin as though it were butter.

“What the hell!” He croaked, eyes darting from Carlos’ chest to the man slowly drawing the plunger back. Sweets barely glanced at him as the syringe filled with a yellowish green fluid, thick and almost mucus-y with a slight red tinge to it. 

“Pulmonary oedema. Fluid build up in the lungs, it can happen after a strangulation. The needle-” Sweets pulled the needle slowly from Carlos’ chest, placing it back on the table as he pressed a fresh piece of gauze to the puncture site, “-removes the excess fluid to relieve pressure and make it a bit easier for him to breath.” Jay gaped at the man, sitting back down as he watched the now slightly less struggling rise and fall of Carlos’ chest before him. 

“Medicine’s sort of crazy.” He uttered, reaching for Carlos’ hand again as Sweets gave another deep chuckle. 

“That it is. But very interesting, if you can get over the sight of blood.” Jay wrinkled his nose, and Sweets turned towards the door as it opened. Ben peeked his head in, eyes wide as he spotted Carlos laid out on the cot, and shuffled into the room slowly. 

“Is it...can we come in? It’s only four of us, Mal and Evie are really worried...and honestly so are Doug and I.” His voice was soft, smaller than Jay had ever really heard Ben sound, and Sweets sighed as he took a glance around the room. 

“One of you will have to go get Fairy Godmother. I don’t have the equipment to do what I have to here, but I don’t want to move him more than necessary either, so she’ll have to bring the equipment to me with her bippity boppity whatsit.” Doug peeked his head in, giving a small wave as Evie and Mal pushed past him. 

“I’ll go, I know where she’s at. Evie, will you be okay?” Evie gave him a small nod and the dwarf-kin took off down the hall as the three students entered the infirmary. 

“Is he okay?” Evie’s words were heavy in the air as she stepped closer, Ben and Mal following closely behind her as she approached the cot. Jay offered her his free hand, which she took gratefully, as Sweets pulled off his gloves to set beside the needle on the table. 

“He will be, barring any complications from the minor surgery I’m going to have to do. He has a few broken ribs and there’s a fluid buildup in his lungs that’s worrisome, but not scary. I’m going to have to go in and make sure that his broken ribs didn’t cause any problems to his lungs, and he’s going to have to have a tube to help him breath for a bit, but he should pull through okay. I’m a little worried that he hasn’t woken up with the examination, but that could just mean that his body is at it’s limit and is trying to protect him.” Mal moved to take Carlos’ other hand, giving his a light squeeze as she stared at the damage done to her friend. 

“How could you let this happen?” Evie’s voice cut through the silence that fell over them, and Jay gave a small jump as he turned wide eyes to look at her. 

“I didn’t...Evie, I didn’t let this happen, come on. I was here, with Ben when this happened. Diego was suppose to be keeping him safe, he said it was safe at his place while we went to the docks.” Evie’s teary gaze moved from Carlos to Jay, softening some at the look on her friends face, and she shifted closer to pull him against her stomach, hugging his upper body tightly. 

“I’m sorry Jay, I know you, you wouldn’t let this happen. I’m just so scared, look at him!” Jay nodded, wrapping his free arm around Evie’s waist as Mal rubbed her thumb over Carlos’ hand. 

“So this is Diego’s fault?” The violet haired girl asked, voice flat as her gaze remained on the youngest of the group. Ben frowned, moving to wrap his arms around Mal’s stomach to pull her against him some. 

“It’s Cruella’s fault, Mal. Not Jays, not Diego’s. Cruella’s the one who did this to him. Let’s not lay blame on anyone but her. Diego’s already beating himself up for this.” Mal took a slow, steady breath, turning to fix Ben with a look.

“But she can’t be punished for this. She’s already on the Isle, she’s not...Ben, she probably doesn’t even care that he’s here like this! I can’t do anything to her to make her pay for this!” A dark hand dropped onto her shoulder, and she looked up at Sweets as he gave her a warm smile. 

“Cruella will be punished for this, don’t you worry. All you four should worry about is being here for Mr. de Vil while he’s recovering.” Mal gave a wooden nod, fingers still clutching at Carlos’, and behind them the door opened again, Fairy Godmother entering the room with Doug and Diego trailing after her. 

“Doug has told me that you need some equipment brought in magically?” She asked, eyes trailing from the doctor to the group of teens surrounding the bed. “Children.” Her gaze softened some, before returning to Sweets. “What do you need?” Sweets gestured for her to step away from the group, and Diego and Doug joined the group, Diego pushing past Mal to rub his thumb lightly over his cousin’s cheek. 

“Did he say if he’s going to be okay?” The eldest teen’s voice was hoarse, his eyes reddened as though he’d been crying, and Mal didn’t have it in her to snap at him for pushing her from Carlos’ side to get to him. 

“Sweets said he’s going to have to do surgery. And he just shoved a needle into his chest and pulled out a whole bunch of gross shit from his lungs, but he said he should be okay once he has the surgery? He just wants to make sure his ribs didn’t bust his lungs I think...oh, and he’s going to stick a tube down his throat to help him breath. Uh...intubate him. I think that’s what he called it.” Jay nodded at his words, his eyes meeting Diego’s above Carlos’ chest. “Are the others settled in rooms?” Diego nodded, his hip leaning against the rail of the bed as he let out a soft sigh. 

“Aren, Eli and I are sharing a room, and Edith’s got a single for now. They’re all in our room waiting for word on C...with the pirates.” Jay scowled some, and Diego shook his head with a slightly confused smile. “Hook seems....incredibly worried about C. More than I’d think him capable of, to be honest. And Gil’s been trying to keep everyone’s spirits up...I don’t think we’re going to have much trouble with them, at least not yet. Eli’s keeping a pretty close eye on them for me though, so I’ll know as soon as they step out of line.” Jay nodded, and behind them Sweets cleared his throat.

“I know you kids want to be close to Mr. de Vil right now, but you’re all going to have to go either back to your dorms or out to the hall while I perform surgery here. It’s not sanitary to have you all standing around while I practice surgery, and it could actually hurt his recovery. So.” The man gestured towards the door, and Jay stood, leaning to press a soft kiss to Carlos’ lips. 

“I’ll be just outside, dude.” He whispered, watching as both Evie and Mal leant to press kisses to the younger teen’s cheeks before Ben and Doug reached to squeeze his knee and leg. Diego pressed his face into Carlos’ hair, taking a long breath before pressing a kiss to his forehead and pulling away. 

“Ditto, lil cuz. I’ll be right outside with Jay.” The group turned to leave as one, Jay pausing in the doorway long enough to watch as Fairy Godmother began to magic items, before stepping out of the room fully, closing the door behind him. 

“What do we do now?” Mal’s voice was steady, and the group turned to look at her at the question. Diego raised a brow at Jay, who ran a hand through his hair before gesturing towards the row of chairs lining the wall outside the infirmary.

“Now...I guess we wait.”


	13. Chapter 13

“What if he’s dead, Gil? None of them came back, it’s been almost six hours.” Harry hissed the words under his breath at his boyfriend, curled into the vee of his legs as the two laid out on the large couch in the boys dorm room they had been brought to. The other Bad Apples had taken up residence on the three beds in the room, Edith having taken over the only unclaimed bed to sprawl out on as she flipped through t.v channels. Eli had fallen asleep, curled under the large, cushion-y blanket draped over his bed, and beside him Aren was eating his way through the bowl of fruit that had been on the table in the middle of the room. 

“I don’t think he’s dead, Harry. I think we’d know if he were dead. Besides, why do you care so much?” Gil’s voice was soft as he stroked a hand along Harry’s spine, attempting to soothe the other as he worried at a loose string on Gil’s vest. 

“Would we? I doubt they’d think to tell us if he died, Gil! And I don’t care, I just...need to know.” Gil frowned, shifting some to sit up more, pulling Harry up with him as he fixed him with a look. 

“Harry. You saw him being strangled. I think you’d somehow know if he had died.” Harry frowned, pressing his cheek to Gil’s chest as he thought over the blond’s words. 

“I still don’t know how I saw that.” Gil gave a small shrug, bringing a hand up to scratch his fingers over Harry’s scalp. “There’s no magic on the Isle, Gil.” Gil gave a hum, and from the bed behind them Aren gave a snort. 

“There’s magic on the Isle.” Both pirate’s heads popped over the back of the couch, and Aren gestured towards them with the half eaten apple in his hand. “Yeah, Carlos broke through the barrier enough to let a little bit of magic in, dude. And that magic didn’t just go away when the barrier was fixed. A lot of it seems to be centered around C? Shit like him hearing Diego while still here in Auradon or something, D tried to explain it to us when he came to get us but I wasn’t really like...grasping it fully? I still don’t get it, but if you were seeing things about him maybe it’s people he has a strong connection to? Though I don’t think Jay had any visions of him like you did, and he’s dating him…” Aren shrugged, and Harry sat up some, brow furrowed. 

“Wait, they’re dating?” Aren raised a brow, shifting towards the end of the bed to rest his chin on one of the bedposts.

“Yeah, man. Or, uh, shit, what did D say they said? Carlos said it was up for discussion when they got back from the Isle. So I guess they aren’t technically dating yet, but yeah. Like we all didn’t see that coming though, right?” Harry frowned, sinking back against Gil as the door to the room opened, Mal and Ben entering. Harry scrambled off the couch, Aren and Edith joining him as Mal closed the door behind her. 

“What’s the word, kingling?” Edith asked, shifting on her feet as Ben ran a hand over his face. 

“Doc Sweets had to do an exploratory surgery to make sure one of the three ribs Cruella broke didn’t puncture his lung. He’s out of surgery now, but he still can’t have any visitors. Diego’s on his way up, and Jay went for a walk. There’s also some talk about the possibility of damage to his vocal chords.” The room fell silent, Edith moving to shake her brother awake, whispering the information to him as he blinked sleepily at her. All eyes were drawn to the door as it opened again, revealing a tired looking Diego. Aren moved to greet him, frowning when Diego brushed past him to go collapse onto the bed that Eli sat on. 

“D?” Eli reached out to touch the other teen’s shoulder, rubbing it gently as Diego let a deep groan into the mattress under his face. “You okay?” Diego rolled onto his back, rubbing his fists into his eyes as he made another disgruntled noise. 

“Yes...actually, no. No, I am most definitely not okay, Eli. Auradon is weird and the people here are weird and, oh yeah, my cousin almost died. So no, I am not okay.” Behind them, Harry snorted, and Diego sat up, gesturing towards the two pirates. “And I have pirates in my room. Who can leave now, by the way, I don’t want you here.” He glared at Harry before turning his attention to Ben. “So what are you going to do about my aunt? There has to be some sort of...something that you can do. She’s not the only mentally unstable person living on the Isle, hurting their kids, but she is the worst. Hell, even a lot of the kids over there need help. Did your dad ever think of the fucking consequences of his action? That there would ever be people on the Isle who didn’t...don’t...we don’t deserve this, any of this!” He reached to pull at his hair, flopping back onto the bed to roll onto his side. 

“I’m trying to fix things, Diego. It’s not fair that you and the other kids on the Isle are the ones to pay the price for my father’s mistake, for any of our parents mistakes, but I’m trying to fix things I promise.” Diego fixed him with a tired look before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I know you are, Ben. Carlos vouches for you, which is good enough for me. I just don’t want to see something like this happen again you know? I didn’t want to see something like this happen to begin with. But shit like this happens all the time on the Isle. To good kids whose only crime was being born to a villain. How is that fair? And there’s no doctors over there, so if something happens, if there’s an accident or a bad sickness, kids die.” Ben paled, and Diego stared at him with eyes too old for a teen. “Sometimes, the ones who die are the lucky ones. Man, there’s been nights when I’ve wondered if C was better off dead...then I’d feel shitty for even thinking it. Fighting for food, for our lives? That ain’t right, and it ain’t fair. We’re all just kids man.” Ben made his way to the bed, seating himself beside Diego and fixing him with a serious look. 

“I’m going to fix this.” He stated, firmly. Placing a hand on Diego’s shoulder, he gave him a nod. “I swear on my kingdom, Diego. I’m going to make things right for the kids on the Isle.” The room feel quiet, the group letting the words sink in, and everyone startled slightly as the door swung open, hitting the wall hard as Jay stood in the doorway. 

“And hello to you too, Jay.” Harry’s drawl was softer than usual, the teasing tone it usually took softened by how wrecked the other teen appeared. Mal moved to go to her friends side, guiding him into the room as Gil moved to give him space on the couch. 

“He’s still out, but Doc Sweets says he’s starting to wake up, so it shouldn’t be too long before we can go see him. Doug and Evie took Dude for a walk, and Doc says we can head down in about half an hour to see if Carlos is up.” Ben cleared his throat, and Jay turned his head some to look at the king. 

“I’m sure he’s going to be alright, Jay. Doc Sweets is an excellent doctor, he’s in the best possible hands. We should all go down to the cafeteria and get somethin to eat- I’m sure it will help us feel a bit better before we go check on Carlos. “ Mal nodded, moving to stand as she cast a glance over the group. 

“You guys are gunna love the food here.”

-=-=-

Everything was floating. 

Darkness curled around him, wrapping him up in a numb, echoing void as he struggled to figure out where he was. Everything felt as though it was on pause- like he’d been in the middle of doing something, but he couldn’t remember what. He felt like he should be in pain, as though he distinctly remembered being in pain, but the numb feeling spread throughout his body and he couldn’t quite grasp the sensation of feeling at all. 

**What if he’s dead, Gil?**

He spun, trying to catch where the voice came from. It was familiar; a familiar accent curling around the words, harsh but underlying with a softness that seemed almost sad. 

**I just...I need to know**

The voice seemed unsure, and Carlos allowed himself to simply float as he waited to see if he would hear more. The pinprick sensation of feeling slowly returning to sleeping limbs began to crawl up his legs, and he whined at the uncomfortable feeling. 

**No, I am most definitely not okay, Eli. Auradon is weird and the people here are weird and, oh yeah, my cousin almost died.**

A different voice, this one easy to pick out- Carlos was certain he’d be able to recognize his cousin’s voice no matter where he was or how confused his head felt. It took a moment for him to realize the first voice had been Harry Hook, and he felt even more confused as the prickling sensation ran up his stomach, a throb in his chest beating in time with his heart. Everything was beginning to ache now, the world around him lightening some. A distinct beeping noise seemed to permeate through the silence, pulling at him like an insistent tug. 

**There’s been nights when I’ve wondered if C was better off dead.**

He didn’t want to die. Not now, not when he had escaped the Isle and was starting to really, truly live. He refused to believe that Diego meant the words, that his cousin had thought him better off dead. He had to be missing something, some part of the conversation that he wasn’t hearing, the sentences not stringing together properly as he heard them. He had to find his way back, towards the voices and the people they belonged to. 

**Doc Sweets says he’s starting to wake up, so it shouldn’t be too long before we can go see him.**

Jay. He was hearing Jay, though his voice seemed distorted slightly as the tugging sensation grew stronger as he tried to hear more. Instead, he let the tugging draw him back, a flash of darkness rolling over him before his eyes, his actual eyes, opened; taking in white walls and a powder blue curtain, wires hanging in his line of sight. Something thick was in his mouth, pushing into his throat, and he panicked at the thought of something blocking his airway again. He struggled, eyes widening as he felt his arms restrained to the side, and let out a scared whine of confusion as one of the machines started to beep shrilly. 

“Hey now, it’s alright. Let the tube do the breathing for you, or else you’re just going to make it harder on yourself.” A deep voice caused him to still, and his eyes darted to where a familiar face hovered over him, toothy smile in place as Doc Sweets checked and adjusted the machines attached to Carlos. Taking the doctor’s advice he tried to relax, letting the machine the machine push air into his lungs as the shock of suddenly awakening slowly sank away. Everything hurt- his limbs, his torso, his head all throbbed with sharp pain, his throat especially bad around the thick feeling tube. “I know it must be pretty scary to wake up not knowing what’s going on, Mr. de Vil. But I promise that I’ll explain everything as soon as you’re a little more awake and I’ve checked your vitals. Is that alright?” Carlos attempted a small nod, and Sweets smiled at him. “Your friends will be happy that you’ve woken up. You’re going to feel pretty tired for a bit, and that’s natural. You’ve had minor invasive surgery. Do you know what happened to you?” Carlos thought a long moment, trying to remember what had happened. He recalled being on the Isle, and his mother…

Oh. And tightly curled fingers, wrapped around his neck. And a hard knee, crushing his chest. He remembered. 

Sweets caught the look on his face and frowned, realizing that the teen was reliving what had happened to him. 

“Carlos. Carlos, it’s alright. You’re going to be okay, and she can’t hurt you any more.” The man’s words were gentle, and Carlos let his eyes drift to his face, taking in the worried look and creased brow. He gave the smallest nod, realizing that he must be back in Auradon if the doctor was there. “You’re going to feel a little out of it for awhile, but that’s just the pain medication. Do you remember who you are?” Carlos gave another nod. “Good. We did some tests while you were out, and your brain waves seem alright. I don’t think you’re going to suffer any long term brain damage, which is good. Your chest is going to recover fine from the surgery, there was a partial tear in your left lung that we fixed up but otherwise it was just a lot of deep muscle bruising under the broken ribs. There’s some severe swelling and bruising in your throat, which is part of the reason for the tube, and the swollen tissues are pressing against your vocal box to a point where you’re not going to be able to talk until the swelling’s gone down. I don’t think there was any permanent damage there, but we’ll know more once the swelling goes down some. You picked up an infection that you’re being treated with antibiotics for, which will probably go away in a few days since we caught it early. All in all, you’re in for a decent recovery time but you were pretty lucky, kiddo.” Carlos blinked, taking in the words as he did his own mental tally of how he was feeling. Things hurt, for sure- even with the painkillers, he could feel the pain. Frankly he didn’t want the painkillers- opiates meant being off guard, off kilter, and even if he was safe he didn’t like it. His throat felt raw, torn open, and he wanted the tube out, it’s pressure a grim reminder of what his mother had done. He lifted one hand to gently grasp the tube, giving Sweets a questioning look. 

“I’m going to turn the air off in a minute. If you don’t have any difficult breathing for the next 45 minutes, I’ll remove the tube.” Carlos nodded, then moved his hand to point at the bags hanging from the i.v post. “Saline, antibiotics and painkillers.” Carlos’ brow furrowed, and he focused his attention on the bags trying to pick out the one with the painkillers in it before pointing to it. “Do you need more painkillers?” Shaking his head again, he gave a small grunt as he mimed removing the i.v line from his hand. Sweets frowned, glancing between the bag and Carlos for a moment. 

“You want me to remove the painkillers? Carlos, you just underwent invasive surgery. I don’t think that’s a good idea, you’re body is going to be in a lot of pain.” Carlos scowled as best he could, reaching out to grasp the doctors large hand to turn it over, writing out letters onto his palm. 

D-O-N-T W-A-N-T

Sweets frown deepened, and he shook his head some. 

“Carlos, you would be incredibly uncomfortable. Your muscles were cut into, not to mention the bruises and broken bones of your ribs. If I took you off of the painkillers, you’d feel all of it.” Carlos curled his finger against the mans palm before tracing more letters.

D-O-N-T W-A-N-T

Sweets hesitated, taking in the fierce look on the teens face. Something about the painkillers was scaring the boy; he had never known a teenager to turn down something that would take away their pain before.

“If I remove them, I’m going to be keeping a close eye on you. And if you seem like it’s too much, I’m going to put you back on them. Is that agreeable?” Carlos nodded, his fingers moving against the mans palm again. 

T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U

Sweets smiled, reaching to turn off the drip for the painkillers before squeezing Carlos’ hand. “I’m just going to check your vitals, and then you can see your friends if you want. Only for a few minutes, then I want you to get some rest. Two people can stay with you if you, but no more. Okay?” Carlos nodded, and the doctor moved to begin checking him over.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100% uploaded the wrong chapter WHOOPS Thanks Linda for pointing that out!!!!

“He’s awake and aware. His ribs didn’t puncture his lungs, though the swelling around the area is making it a bit harder for him to breath that normal. His vitals are all good, though he has a slight fever still. We’re going to wait for another twenty or so minutes to remove the breathing tube, just to be sure his lungs are alright without it, and he’s going to be in pain. He asked to be taken off of his painkillers, but if one of you could convince him to let me put him back on them it would be for the best. His being in pain isn’t going to help his healing any at this point.” Jay and Diego exchanged a glance at the doctor’s words, Ben giving a firm nod beside Jay as Mal cleared her throat. 

“He doesn’t like how they make him feel. Like. Physically. It’d be pretty dangerous to be sluggish and loopy when every day you have to do a thousand things and try not to get the crap kicked out of you. And it’s a hard mentality to just leave behind.” Sweets nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as Ben moved to stand. 

“We’ll try to get him to see that it’s safe for him to be on them here. Can we see him now?” Sweets gestured towards the door, and Jay pushed the door open as the doctor stated ‘just fifteen minutes’ behind them. Carlos lay in one of the Infirmary’s beds, wires attaching him to several machines beeping softly behind him. Jay moved to the side of the bed, giving a smile as big brown eyes blinked open.

“Hey, Carlos.” Carlos’ cheeks shifted some, as though he was trying to smile around the breathing tube, and Jay was pleased to see the younger teen looking alert. “How’re you feeling, dude?” He reached out to take Carlos’ hand, lacing their fingers together as Diego slipped in beside him, a wide grin on his face. Carlos squeezed Jay’s hand lightly, turning his gaze to his cousin and giving him an unreadable look. Diego frowned slightly, and on the opposite side of the bed Ben and Mal reached out of touch Carlos’ leg. 

“Hey C. Doc Sweets says your gunna be okay, but you asked to be taken off of your pain meds?” Mal’s voice was soft, her fingers pressing gently against Carlos’ leg as she gave him a look. “You know that your body’s going to recover better if you’re on them, Carlos. I know you know that. You’re safe here, I promise.” Ben gave a firm nod, reaching to take Carlos’ free hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. 

“I won’t let anyone hurt you. King’s word. I’ll even set up a guard for you if you want. But you have to take the medication Doc Sweets tells you to take. He’s a good doctor, and he just wants to help. I promise.” Carlos let his gaze travel from Mal to Ben, then over to Jay and Diego, both who nodded in agreement to Ben’s words. He gave a slight nod, and Ben smiled warmly at him. “I’ll go tell him he can put you back on the meds.” Mal gave him a quick kiss before he left, and Diego cleared his throat, bringing Carlos’ attention to him. 

“Edith, Eli and Aren are getting their school schedules and stuff set up. They wanted to come with, but it was decided that too many people might overwhelm you.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Diego chuckled. “Gil and Harry wanted to come too...but I told them no fucking way. Not happening. The only reason they’re here is to figure out what the hell’s going on since Hook apparently had a vision or something about what happened and we thought it might be connected to you hearing me.” Carlos’ brows furrowed, and he reached to take Diego’s hand, trying to draw out a long sentence and getting frustrated. Diego frowned, trying to follow along, but losing it halfway through. 

“That’s probably really frustrating, trying to talk to us...oh! Hold on!” Mal snapped her fingers, a wide grin crossing her lips. “Let voiceless people still be heard, without speaking a single word. Don’t let their words be lost in the dark, teach all around to finger-talk!” A wave of magic spread over them, and Mal beamed. “Fairy Godmother actually taught me that one when I had to do that volunteer round at the children's hospital. I wound up in the deaf wing and she said it’d be helpful.” Jay snorted, and Carlos released the older teen’s hand to test out the spell. 

_‘Can you understand me?’_

Mal grinned, giving a thumbs up. 

“One hundred percent, C. No more communication issues!” Carlos gave a nod, and Diego flashed a grin at him. 

_‘Harry thought I was dead when I was in surgery. He wanted to know if I was alright.’_

Diego’s grin dropped, and Mal cast a look at Jay as the boy gave a shrug. None of them had really been in the room before Ben and Mal had gone to update the remaining VK’s on Carlos’ surgery, so they couldn’t be certain if Carlos’ words were true. Carlos’ brows furrowed, and his fingers moved again. 

_‘You think Auradon is weird.’_

His eyes were on Diego as he signed the words, and the older teen frowned as he thought back to the conversation he’d had with the others up in his new dorm room. He gave a slow nod, and Carlos’ pale cheeks reddened slightly as he signed his next words. 

_‘You said you sometimes thought I’d be better off dead.’_

It wasn’t signed in an accusatory manner, though the color drained from Diego’s face as he stared at his cousin, hands curled into tight fists at his sides. 

“I never meant it like I want you dead, Carlos. Just that...that sometimes it just seemed so unfair that you had to live with what she did to you, that death would be...less cruel, I guess. You...how did you hear that?” Carlos gave a half shrug, eyes drifting from Diego to Jay for a moment before returning to his cousin. 

_‘I heard it. I heard you, and Harry. And Jay.’_

Jay raised a brow at that, glancing at Mal as Ben slipped back in the door, making his way back to Mal’s side with a soft smile. 

“Doc’s going to readjust your pain medication’s dosage so you won’t feel so off on them. He’s also going to come in and take out that tube in a minute.” Carlos’ eyes lit up at that, and he reached to touch the tubing as Mal smiled warmly at him. 

“Hey, that’s good news.” Ben nodded, and Mal shifted to lean into her boyfriend. All eyes turned towards the door as Doc Sweets entered the room holding an i.v bag. 

“Alright, kids. I’m going to have to ask a few of you to relocate to the hallway while I take out the tube.” Mal tugged Ben towards the door, Diego and Jay exchanging a look as Sweets moved to hook the bag onto the i.v pole. Reattaching it to the line, he gave Carlos a warm smile as he then moved to start peeling back where the tube had been taped down. “Alright now, this is going to hurt a little bit. When I tell you to, you’ll have to cough. When you cough, I’m going to pull the tube out. Does that sound alright?” Carlos gave a slightly nod, and Jay reached to grasp his hand, lacing their fingers together and giving it a squeeze. Sweets wrapped his hand around the tube, giving Jay a nod before turning his attention to Carlos fully. “Alright now, one...two...three...cough!” Carlos coughed, gagging as the tube was pulled free and placed to the side. Carlos continued to cough, wheezing and gasping as the doctor handed him a bottle of water, opening it and tilting it slowly to his mouth. “Easy sips now, son. You don’t want to take too much all at once.” Carlos took a few small sips before dropping his head back against the pillow, a slightly wheeze still audible with every breath he drew. 

“He doesn’t sound okay.” Diego’s voice was worried as he hovered, and Sweets shot him an amused look as he reached around the back of the bed to pull an oxygen tube down, hooking it around Carlos’ ears and placing the nose piece in the young teen’s nose. 

“This will help with that some. Now, I don’t want you trying to talk for a good while, son. Your throats in rough condition, and you could do a lot more damage than just swollen tissue. Understood?” Carlos nodded, and Jay offered the man a grin. 

“Don’t worry, Mal’s figured out a way to make it so we can all still communicate. When can he leave?” Sweets frowned, casting a look at the two older teens. 

“Mr. de Vil here has just undergone some pretty major trauma, boys. It’s going to be at least four or five days before he’s going to even be able to get out of that bed, let alone leave the Infirmary.” Jay nodded, and Diego shifted awkwardly. 

“But we can still visit him, right? I know that we’re going to have classes and stuff, but I’d feel better being able to check in on him while he’s still here…” Diego’s words were soft, and Sweets reached out to place a hand on the teens shoulder. 

“Unless there’s a medical procedure happening, I don’t see why you can’t spend time in here. Just remember that this is an Infirmary, not a playground. And that the people in here are suppose to be resting and recovering. Deal?” The two teens nodded, and Sweets gestured towards the door. “Now I’m fairly certain that while one of you has the day off before they start classes, Jay has Charming Conversationials in five minutes.” Jay made a face, and Sweets chuckled. “Yeah, that’s about the face I make thinking about it, but lessons are lessons son. Go on now.” Jay turned to Carlos, half pouting as the younger man reached out to pat his face before signing to him. 

_‘Go to class. You have to get my homework too, and I’m tired. I’ll probably sleep soon.’_

Jay sighed, leaning forward to bump their foreheads together before turning to leave. 

“Diego, you can probably come with me to get a feel for the classes before tomorrow since C’s gunna sleep. Give him some quiet.” Diego gave a small nod, reaching to squeeze his cousin’s shoulder.

“If you need one of us, just get Doc Sweets to come get us okay?” Carlos nodded, his eyes already starting to droop as the two teens made their way out the door. Sweets moved to stand beside Carlos’ bed, adjusting the drip on his i.v before reaching to pull the blanket up the teens chest some. 

“Did you have any questions about your surgery? Or your injuries?” Carlos blinked at the man, frowning a moment as he thought on the question. 

_‘Did I almost die?’_

Sweets stilled a moment, the question catching him slightly off guard with the casually curious look that Carlos had given with it. He cleared his throat, his hands grasping the rail bar on the side of the bed as he tried to think of the best way to word his reply. 

“You could have, if she had continued to strangle you for much longer. Your cousin was lucky to get to you when he did; any longer and there would have been the potential for brain damage.” Carlos nodded, seemingly pleased with the truthful answer, and Sweets gave a sigh. “I would like to say that it didn’t look like she meant to hurt you, Carlos, but the wounds were incredibly deliberate...but from the looks of it, you already know that, huh?” Carlos nodded again, his eyes slightly downcast as he bit his lower lip, his mind on his mother’s behavior towards him. “But you’re safe here. I promise, nothing is going to get you here in this room. I won’t let it.” Carlos sized the man up, giving a small smile as he took in the sheer size of the doctor. Sweets chuckled, reaching to lightly pat Carlos’ shoulder. “I’ll be heading to my office, but if you need anything I’m leaving this call button here for you. It’ll alert me that you need me. Don’t hesitate to press it for anything, okay?” Carlos flashed a thumbs up as Sweets handed him the button, giving a wide yawn and settling back on the pillows. “Now you get some rest. I’m honestly surprised you’re so alert so soon after the surgery to be honest, but you Isle kids never cease to amaze me.” He smiled, then left the room, leaving Carlos alone. 

Glancing around the room, he took a moment to realize just how lucky he was. He knew enough about medicine to know that the antibiotics pumping into his system were pretty heavy duty; he’d read about the pain medication that was in the bag on his i.v pole and knew that it wasn’t just some stronger than normal over the counter meds. He knew well enough that the damage to his throat could be permanent if he weren’t careful, that the swelling all over his chest and throat would be even worse if not for the anti-inflammatory medication mixed into his cocktail of drugs. 

His mother had tried to kill him. 

His mother had tried to kill him, and while a part of him was livid and hurt and scared, another part of him- a larger part than he cared to think about- wasn’t surprised. He had known his mother was not all there for years; nearly fourteen years of constant, terrible abuse had erased any illusion he might have ever had of her caring for him. Any thought that she might have had any small, inkling of love for the child she’d born into the world was long gone. 

She’d tried to kill him.

A part of him wanted to cry, but any tears that remained inside of him refused to be shed over his mother, over any of her actions. He didn’t want to give her that power, even when it felt like she was inside of him, in his head and heart with her darkness and her cruelty. She’d been aptly named, Cruella de Vil, and Carlos couldn’t help the bubble of panicked mirth at the thought. A hysterical wheeze pushed its way from his chest, and he grasped at the blanket draped over him, fingers curling into the fabric as he tried to breath through the icy grip of panic settling over him. 

His mother had tried to kill him. 

It was already hard to breath, and he scrambled to press the call button Sweets had left for him as he tried to let the oxygen tube push air into his lungs, lungs that were bruised and painful, lungs that his mother had knelt on in her attempt to strangle the life out of him. His entire being felt suddenly numb as the phantom fingers brushed over his chest to tighten on his throat, his eyes squeezing shut as he grasped the button and pushed it. 

His mother had tried to kill him, and he doubted she felt anything at all about it.

He closed his eyes, letting the darkness creep in as the door to the infirmary opened, heavy footstep making their way to his bed before warm hands grasped his shoulders gently. 

“Carlos? What is it?” He shook his head, his breathing coming quick and wet, and the sound of shuffling met his ears before a wave of static rolled over him, the doctor speaking softly above him as those warm hands returned to his shoulders, rubbing softly. “Alright. Okay, it’s alright. The medication should kick in quick, just breath slowly. You’re okay.” He could feel nothingness creeping over him, the sound around him fading out as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as Sweets continued to speak softly. 

As he let the darkness take him, he couldn’t help but wonder if his mother felt any regret for her action whatsoever. He didn’t think she did, but a fool could hope.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but it's more of a filler between major scenes than anything else. Bear with me! Also Harry's a little OOC in this chapter, ugh. I wanted him a bit softer but I might have accidentally turned him into too much of a softie lol

“I never fucking knew, Pup. The villain in me wants to pretend I don’t feel anything about all this, but you and I both know that being a villain and having feelings aren’t always as mutually exclusive as our parents would have us believe, don’t we?” Carlos slowly blinked open his eyes as Harry’s voice seeped into his dream, the world around him blurry as he tried to focus on the vaguely human shaped blob before him. “Oh, shit. Did I wake you up?” Carlos frowned as he tried to focus, giving a small yawn as he struggled to push himself upright. Strong hands reached to help, surprisingly gentle as Harry helped him slide up to rest against the pillows piled at the head of the bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you, but if you’re up then maybe we could talk?” Carlos rubbed at his eyes before nodding, his fingers moving almost without thinking.

_‘I can’t talk…’_

Harry chuckled, settling on the side of the bed before giving a little shrug. 

“I got Mal’s spell. It’s alright, I understand your…” He wiggled his fingers, and Carlos rolled his eyes as he reached to adjust the tube in his nose. 

_‘What do you want to talk about.’_

Harry shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat as he gave a little shrug at the question. Carlos raised a brow, wincing slightly as the pain in his chest twinged at the slight shift in the bed, and Harry frowned. 

“I want to talk about what happened between us, Pup. Diego’s shed some, shall we say light, I suppose, on the subject that I wasn’t privy to before. And I think I have some...apologizing to do.” Carlos tilted his head some, and Harry ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh. “When you left? I’m not too proud to admit that I did not take it well. I was angry with you for leaving. For choosing to leave after that day Cruella found us without giving us an explanation.” Carlos’ brows furrowed, his fingers moving quickly as he shook his head. 

_'Chose to leave? My mother locked me in a closet for two months with no food except what I could sneak in the middle of the night, Harry, I didn’t have a choice in the matter.’_

Harry winced at the signed words, his body edging back some as he gave Carlos a serious look. 

“I know that now. Or, I guess I had guessed it and now I know it. I thought you’d left us to be with Mal and her gang, because the next thing I knew you were being seen with her, throwing her howler and you hadn’t bothered to come back…” There was a moment of silence between them before Carlos reached out to tug Harry’s arm, causing him to look up from where he’d been staring a hole in the blanket near the younger teens hip. 

_‘I didn’t choose them over you and Gil. My mother threatened to drive down to the docks and deal with you if I didn’t stop going around with you. I’m not much, but I protect the people who matter to me if I can...and you did matter, Harry. Even with all the shit between us now, you still mattered.’_

Harry’s expression softened, and he thought back to the days after Carlos’ disappearance. There had been no sign of the younger boy anywhere on the Isle; he hadn’t even made an appearance at the barge runs, something he had always been adamant on going to even when Harry and Gil had offered to do the runs for him. No sign of him at the Slop Shop, where he’d pick up Cruella’s coffee order, not a glimpse of him in the market place bargaining for any scrap of fur or electronics he could get his hands on. There had been nothing, as though Carlos de Vil had ceased to exist for those few months before he’d broken the barrier and teamed up with Mal and her crew.

“I was hurt. Too hurt to really think about the situation, to see what was very obviously happening...for evil’s sake, Carlos, no one batted an eye when I asked if you were missing those first few days and instead of going to your house to see if you were there, I just got mad. I know the rules are that you don’t care about other people on the Isle, but...I knew something was wrong but I didn’t want to see it, I guess. And Uma hated that I was looking for you. I don’t really get it, I don’t know why she hated you so much, but she was over the bloody moon when you just up and vanished.” Carlos frowned, shifting some at the pain in his chest.

_‘Uma never liked me. I’m pretty sure she’s the one who told my mom I was down at the docks with you and Gil, to be honest. I took up too much of your time, I think.’_

Harry nodded, reaching out hesitantly to touch the back of Carlos’ hand. The younger teen flinched slightly at the touch, glancing down at the rough fingers before looking up at Harry’s face. 

“I never wanted to make you do anything you didn’t want to do. It’s been brought to my attention that I may have done things that hurt you while we were together...things you might not have wanted to happen. I’m not a good guy, in any way, but I never would have forced you, Carlos. Not if you didn’t want to. I want you to know that. And I’m sorry for all the times I got black-out drunk and did things that made you so uncomfortable that you still won't tell me what I did...I know you hated it, and I’m sorry.” Carlos nodded, turning his hand slightly to squeeze Harry’s fingers before giving a yawn. 

_‘I’m not going to say you’re completely forgiven, Harry. You did things that have really, really hurt me. But I’m willing to let you work on it.’_

Harry nodded, and Carlos released his hand, settling back against the pillow again. The door to the room swung open, and Doc Sweets entered with a chart in his hand, a look of surprise crossing his face as he spotted Carlos and Harry. 

“Ah, I didn’t know you had a visitor, Carlos. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to ask your friend to leave, we have to check one the suture site and then I’m going to give you a sedative to help you sleep some more. “ Harry nodded, moving to stand up, and Carlos gave him a small wave as the older teen left the room. Sweets raised a brow, gesturing towards the door Harry had left through. “You’re quite the popular young man, aren’t you?” Carlos shrugged, and Sweets chuckled. “Alright, now this’ll only take a moment then…”

-=-=-

“Ella, what have you done?” Cecil stood in the doorway of the bedroom Cruella had taken over, surveying the damage the woman had caused in her latest rage-induced tantrum. Cruella sat silently on the bed, shattered perfume bottles littered across the floor between piles of torn, shredded clothing and broken makeup containers. His sister rolled one bony shoulder, as though stretching muscles that were barely there, and Cecil stepped over a puddle of what smelt like every perfume the Isle had to offer to make his way to the bed. “Cruella, they’re saying you tried to murder Carlos. Is that what happened?” Cruella shrugged, picking idly at the threadbare blanket over her lap as Cecil stood beside the bed, taking in what his sister had become. 

“He should never have come back, the ingrate. I raised him, and he left his mother all alone on this wretched island. I didn’t ask for this life! I didn’t want a child!” She bent slightly, head in her hands as she began to sob, and Cecil moved to sit beside her on the bed. 

“Ella, they’re coming for you. I received notice just a few minutes ago, they’re coming now to take you to the Auradon Psychiatric Center. You almost killed your son. Don’t you...don’t you feel any regret?” He hesitated, reaching to touch her shoulder as she shook under his grasp. 

“I regret that I didn’t get to finish the job!” she shrieked, shoving the hand away as she snarled at him, mascara running down her hollow cheeks. “That I didn’t skin him for a coat when I had a chance! Such spots, lovely little spots all over him, Cecil. He’d have been such a lovely leather coat. Not fur, he’s not furry, but leather!” Cecil recoiled at the words, disgust written across his face as he stared at his sister in horror. 

“Cruella, you’re talking about skinning a child! Your child!” He stood, hovering over Cruella as she began to pull at her hair, long sharp nails scratching against her face. 

“He is my child to do with as I please! My belonging! My coat!” Cecil stepped back, eyes wide as Cruella continued to rake her hands through her hair and over her face. 

“He’s a human! A smart, shy boy who has only ever wanted to please you, Ella please listen to yourself. This isn’t you, this isn’t my sister.” Cruella snarled at him again, lashing out with one hand; Cecil stepped away from her reach, brows furrowing. “What would Anita think of this? Of what you’ve become?” Cruella stilled, the mention of her schoolyard friend causing her to fall silent.

“She...she would understand.” Cecil shook his head, and Cruella’s eyes darted from her brother around the room. “She...wouldn’t? She wouldn’t understand.” She frowned, the sharp angles of her face causing her to look positively skeletal in the darkened room. 

“She wouldn’t want you to be like this, Ella. These people who are coming, they want to help you. They want to take you off of the Isle to a facility to help you. Will you go with them quietly?” Cruella’s head nodded the slightest amount, and Cecil let out a relieved sigh. “I just want what’s best for you, you know that right?” Cruella nodded again, and Cecil stepped closer, reaching out to touch her shoulder. 

“You’ll look after my babies?” Cecil frowned, confused, and Cruella looked up at him. “My furs, you won’t let anyone take them?” Nodding, Cecil sat down on the bed beside his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“No one will touch them. I’ll bring your car to the manor as well, lock up Hell Hall and keep an eye on it. Alright?” Cruella nodded, leaning to rest her head against her brother’s shoulder as she closed her eyes. 

“He’s a good puppy, isn’t he.” Cecil waited to see if there was more coming, unsure of if Cruella was talking about Carlos or something else. “I trained him well, very obedient. Maybe he can make another mother proud.” Cecil nodded, reaching up slightly to run his fingers soothingly through Cruella’s hair as she continued talking. “He has a marvelous fashion sense, of course. And he’s grown, hasn’t he? He felt bigger. Not much, but enough to notice. And he’s covered in those spots, but it doesn’t look wretched on him, not really. Probably why Jafar’s brat is always hanging around him. Pretty little thing, just like his mother.” 

“He’s going to be a handsome lad once he grows into himself, yes. But how could he not be with a mother as beautiful as you Ella? He has your cheekbones and your grace after all.” Cruella hummed, and Cecil let out a slow breath as somewhere below them, a loud knocking rang out. “They’re here for you, Cruella. I’ve already packed a bag with your things, and I made them promise to contact me for anything you might need. But you understand why you have to go with them?” She nodded, and he moved to stand, pulling her up with him. “Come along then. Let’s get you downstairs.” The two started towards the door, leaving behind the destroyed bedroom.


	16. Chapter 16

Diego de Vil was not, in any form of the word, shy.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t cautious. Almost eighteen years on the Isle had trained him on the side of skepticism when it came to people around him, making him uneasy when it came to trusting peers and adults alike. Too many years of being taken advantage of left a bitter taste in his mouth, and too many people claiming to be wanting to help him had done more harm than anything before he had learnt that there were few people you could trust on the Isle.

Auradon, though cleaner and seemingly safer than the Isle, had a sort of sugared truth that Diego hated even more than the outright lies of the Isle. If you caught a villain in a lie, they’d come clean; the self proclaimed good people of Auradon seemed shocked if called out on a blatant lie, almost accusing you of catching them. 

It was weird.

The Bad Apples sat silently at a chemistry lab table, Aren and Edith paying attention to the teacher describing the chemical properties of argon as Eli doodled in Diego’s notebook. Diego had tried to pay attention, but the lesson the class seemed to be on was one Yen Sid had covered not long before they had left the Isle, and he couldn’t help but let his attention wander. His thoughts moved from the lesson being taught to his father, who had always insisted on Diego doing well in school. His father made him think of his Aunt, which in turn made him think of Carlos. He still felt guilty about what had transpired; had he of just stayed home, let Jay go to the dock alone, his cousin might not have suffered at the hands of his aunt. He knew that he couldn’t stop every bad thing from happening to the people around him, that it made no sense to blame himself for his aunt's actions, but he couldn’t help it. He had asked Fairy Godmother what would happen to his aunt, and she had said she was looking into it; a lie, of course, as immediately after he had asked the woman had excused herself for some sort of meeting in regards to magic in Camelot, wherever that was.

“Mr. de Vil, is my lesson boring you?” Diego jumped slightly at being addressed, turning his attention to the the teacher as he stood at the front of the class, an unamused look on his face. 

“Uh...a little bit, if I’m gunna be truthful. I learned all of this in Weird Science already, sorry.” The teacher gave a sigh, shaking his head.

“Well even if you already know the subject matter it’s still polite to pay attention in class. A concept that both you and your cousin seem incapable of grasping.” Diego frowned, uncertain as to how to respond, and beside him Eli raised his hand, not waiting to be called on before beginning to speak.

“Diego’s just worried about his cousin, sir, you’ll have to excuse him. This is all so new to us, and then C almost dying...it’s just a lot, y’know? We’re...what do you Auradon’s like to keep calling it? We’re adjusting.” The teacher frowned, waving off the comment before turning back to the board to begin lecturing about bismuth. Diego’s thoughts returned to his cousin, who he had yet to go see since the younger teen had woken up after his surgery. Ben had assured him that he was fine, but Diego knew he’d feel better after actually going to see him.

People lied, after all. Even in Auradon. 

The bell dismissing class rang, the teacher assigning a chapter of homework before shooing the students out into the hall, and Diego found himself swept along with his friends towards the cafeteria for lunch. 

“Hey! Diego, guys, over here!” Jay’s voice caught his attention, and he spotted the ex-thief waving at them from a table just past the counter for getting food. Weaving through the crowd, Diego gave Jay a wide grin as he spotted four trays sitting on the table between Jay and Mal. 

“Hey, Jay. Thanks for getting lunch for us, guys, this place has...way too many options.” Mal chuckled, nudging a tray towards Edith as the girl settled between her and Evie, Eli collapsing into the seat across from her next to Doug. 

“Hey, nerd boy. I saw you jammin’ on that trumpet, you ever think about doing some ska?” The tall green haired teen nudged Doug with a wide grin, and the dwarf kin raised a brow at the question, the teasing name easily ignored. 

“What’s that?” Eli’s brows shot up in shock, and Aren waved a fork full of pasta towards the Auradian. 

“Ska is only the best music genre ever. Don’t you guys have it over here? It’s like, punk meets trumpets meets magic. Come to the band room later, we’ll hook you up bro.” Doug nodded, and Evie gave him a warm smile. 

“It really is a good music genre, Doug. Nothing scary, not like the stuff Diego and Carlos like to listen to.” She shot a teasing grin towards Diego, who faked a scowl as he dug into his meal. 

“Look, just because you can’t handle Scream-o princess…” He grinned, and Evie flicked a french fry off her plate at him. “Hey! Not cool, E. Not cool at all.” The group snickered before falling quiet as they ate. Halfway through lunch, Ben appeared, dropping his tray to the table unceremoniously as he slumped into the chair next to Mal. 

“Hey, Ben...what’s wrong?” Mal slipped an arm through Ben’s as the king slumped against her, letting out a small whine. 

“Council meetings. Why do we have to have so many?” Mal gave him a sympathetic kiss on the forehead, and he let out a huff as he sat back up, turning for a proper one. “It was mostly about budgets and the Mines, but uh. There was also a whole section of the meeting about, um. Cruella.” He cast a glance at Diego, who hesitated in bringing his fork to his mouth at the mention of his aunt. “And what happened on the Isle. We’re bringing her over to an Auradon hospital for mental health evaluation. And I’m going to send a team of doctors to the Isle as well, several volunteered to go set up a free clinic. The...doctors who are taking on Cruella’s case want to bring Carlos in for an examination as well.” Diego stiffened, turning his gaze from his food to Ben.

“They, what, want to see if he’s crazy too?” His words were spoken with a quiet fury, insulted that people who had never met his cousin wanted to judge him based on his mother’s genes. “See if he’s going to snap one day? Maybe make a nice fur coat out of that dog that’s been sitting outside of his and Jay’s dorm?” He set his fork down, brow furrowed in anger as he stared at Ben, the anger in his voice almost a physical presence. “We aren’t our parents. And Carlos might be weird, and stupidly smart, but he’s not crazy. And I did not spend half of our lives convincing him otherwise for you to ruin it all by forcing him to get evaluated from some doctors who have never met him before and don’t know shit about the Isle. No. Not happening.” Ben frowned, and beside him Mal shook her head as she reached out to touch Diego’s arm. 

“It might be a good thing, Diego. I mean, maybe we should all get evaluated. We all lived pretty horrible lives. We might, I don’t know, benefit from talking to someone, you know?” Around the table, the others gave small nods, and Diego deflated as he slumped down in his chair. 

“I just don’t want this to be a giant backwards step for him. You know how terrified he is of becoming like her, Mal.” Mal gave him a small smile, patting the arm under her hand. 

“He won’t. Trust me, Carlos is as far from becoming Cruella as he could be. He’s got nothing to worry about.” Diego nodded, and Ben cleared his throat to catch their attention again. 

“There’s also this whole incident of Carlos being able to hear people on the Isle. I spoke with Fairy Godmother about it, and she has a theory. She thinks there was some sort of magical backlash when Carlos opened the barrier while you were still on the Isle, and that there’s a magical feedback between him and the waves specific around the Isle. She says she has to run some tests once Carlos is a little more healed up, so in a few days or too...I’ve granted permission for minor magical medical practice, so it should speed up some of his recovery quickly too.” Jay perked up at that, leaning around Diego slightly to give Ben a hopeful look. 

“Speaking of Carlos, do you think you can get me out of Medieval Kingdoms for the day? I really want to go see him, he’s been messaging me on and off all day and I think it would cheer him up if I went to spend some time with him before Tourney.” Ben gave him a look, and Jay beamed at him. “Oh come on, you and I both know that class is redundant. It’s just here so prince's can boast about their mighty and powerful linage. Which I don’t have. Or care about. Please, dude?” He pouted, and Ben sighed.

“You guys seriously abuse the fact that I’m king.“ Jay snickered, and Ben sighed as he waved off the other teen. “Go. I’ll tell the teacher you’re excused.” Jay slapped him on the back, getting up from the table to make his way out of the cafeteria, and Ben turned to rest his cheek on Mal’s shoulder as she gave a chuckle. “Why do I feel like I’m dating all four of you some days.” Mal smirked, reaching absentmindedly to pat Ben’s head as she reached to take the strawberry Evie held out for her.

“Hey, you knew what you signed up for when we started dating, B.” 

-=-=-

The Infirmary was on lockdown.

Jay stared at the shimmering line blocking his entry to the section of the hall that held the door to the Infirmary. Fairy Godmother stood a few feet within the barrier talking to Sweets, her back to him as he stared at the closed door. He couldn’t understand why the hall would be blocked off, unless something had happened to Carlos. His heart thumped painfully in his chest as he tried to press into the barrier, jumping slightly as a voice behind him spoke suddenly.

“He had a seizure.” Jay turned and was greeted by a pale faced Harry, nearly blending into the wall he leant against with his arms crossed over his chest. Jay’s eyes darted from the pirate to the Infirmary door, brows furrowed before he returned his attention to the other teen.

“What did you do?” Harry scowled, pushing himself away from the wall to make his way to stand in front of Jay, staring him down for a long moment before huffing, almost deflating before Jay’s eyes.

“I came by earlier to talk to Pup. He seemed fine, we had a full conversation and then I was shooed out by the good doctor. Went back to the dorm for a bit then came back to check on him...was in the room maybe five minutes talking to him when his eyes just...just rolled up in the back of his head, and he went stiff then started to shake like a fish on a line.” Harry’s voice shook as he recalled the scene, and Jay’s anger melted some at genuine look of pain on the other teens face. “It’s been about twenty minutes since then.” Jay fisted his hands at his sides, turning to watch as Fairy Godmother turned to face them, a pinched look on her face. She walked towards them, waving her hand to get rid of the barrier before reaching the two boys.

“Is he okay?” Jay’s voice was stained, and Fairy Godmother placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as she gave him a soft smile.

“He had a reaction to one of the painkillers, dear, and it caused a small seizure. Doc Sweets has assured me that he’ll be fine, he’s just a little disoriented right now. I’ll allow one of you in with him, we wouldn’t want to overwhelm him.” The two teens exchanged a look, and Harry gave a small bow, gesturing towards the door.

“Go on, Street Rat. I’m sure he’d be far happier to see you than me.” Jay gave him a grateful look, hurrying past Fairy Godmother to enter the room, his eyes falling on Carlos as soon as he approached the bed. The younger teen was awake, propped up on several pillows as he stared out the window, one hand tracing circles on the blanket pulled over his lap. Jay cleared his throat and Carlos jumped slightly, turning to look at him.

“Hey, C. I heard you didn’t get along with the painkillers they gave you.” Jay offered a small smile as he moved to the side of the bed, hesitating a moment before sitting on the edge near Carlos’ legs. Carlos offered him a shaky smile, his hands moving quickly as he signed.

_‘It wasn’t the best experience, dude. I thought you’d be in class?”_

Jay grinned, reaching out to lay a hand on Carlos’ knee as he gave a small shrug.

“You know me, dude. Any excuse to not me in class right?” Carlos snorted, and Jay chuckled along with him. “But seriously, Ben got me excused from MK for the day.” Carlos made a wheezing sound that Jay took as a chuckle, shaking his head some.

_‘So now I really have to get him something nice, huh?”_

Jay snorted, moving slowly to crawl onto the bed along side of Carlos, pulling the other teen against him gently to cuddle with.

“How about you give me something nice instead? A kiss would be nice.” Carlos smiled widely, pressing a soft kiss to the older teens lips before pulling away slowly, giving a soft sigh as Jay pressed against his side. “See? Very nice.” Carlos rolled his eyes, and Jay pouted at him. “Hey, I’m skipping class for you!”

_‘I should be lecturing you for that. Class is important Jay.’_

Jay wrinkled his nose, leaning to gently kiss the harsh bruises on Carlos’ neck, taking a moment to revel in the fact that the other teen was awake and coherent.

“You’re more important, C. Always.” His words were little more than a whisper, and Carlos shifted carefully to press a hand against Jay’s jaw, tilting his face up slightly to give him a long, slow kiss before pulling back some.

_‘I’m okay, Jay. Still all here. I promise.’_

Jay nodded, eyes wet as he took a shaky breath, his mind still circling on the fact that Carlos could have died. That he could have woken up that morning with the younger teen no longer in his life.

“I’m never letting you out of my damn sight again, Carlos. I hope you know that. Not after this.” Carlos frowned, and Jay let out a small huff. “Okay, yeah, I know that look. I know I can’t actually do that, and that you’re capable of taking care of yourself and that Cruella’s being locked away-“ he nodded firmly at Carlos’ surprised look at that, “-but you scared the shit out of me dude. Never again, okay?” Carlos nodded, and Jay took the opportunity to curl around the smaller teen as Carlos gave a wide yawn. “You gotta be tired, man...wanna take a nap?” Carlos hesitated, and Jay caught on to his concern almost immediately. “I’ll nap here with you, C. Promise.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Jay pulled the blankets up, humming softly. 

“One quick nap, Carlos. Then maybe we can see about getting you moved to our dorm.”


	17. Chapter 17

Ben had always known that being king meant occasionally making difficult decisions. Ones that he wouldn’t have had to make, had he been born to anyone but King Adam and Queen Belle; ones that he sat up all night thinking on, worried that the wrong decision could have terrible consequences. 

This decision was a hard one. 

He had been up most of the night, trying to think of a way to make it easier for Carlos to go to a psychological evaluation at the hospital Cruella currently resided in. Diego had brought up a fair point when the idea had been brought up previously; the evaluation could be a huge step back for Carlos if the doctors did more damage with their questions than good. He had spoken with the boy the day before- nearly two weeks out of the Infirmary, though he had just returned to classes as he still had difficulty moving with his ribs- about the prospect of the evaluation, and Carlos had seemed amiable to the idea. Diego was still against the idea, and while Jay, Mal and Evie could see the potential benefit they were wary of sending their friend alone to a stranger. 

“You’re not going to be alone, I’m coming with you.” The two teens stood waiting for Chip to pull up in one of the school’s limos, Carlos shifting from foot to foot nervously as Ben stood beside him. The anxiety practically rolled off of the younger teen; his shoulders hunched inwards as he clutched Dude’s leash tightly in one gloved hand. “They might ask me to wait outside, but if you’re really nervous about it or you’re scared or anything at all, Carlos, I’ll use the fact that I’m king to come in with you okay?” Carlos gave a small nod, half turning to Ben to flash him a grateful smile. 

_‘I appreciate that.’_

Two weeks had only begun the healing process on the damage done to the boys throat; he could make a few raspy noises, but Doc Sweets had urged him to keep from speaking still until the red, swollen tissues had a bit more time to heal. The swelling around his broken ribs had gone down, though the teen still moved stiffly as his body continued to heal, leaving him sore and tired by the end of the day most days. 

“Did you take your painkillers?” The good doctor had provided some pretty heavy pain relief medication for the boy, though from what Ben had witnessed Carlos rarely took them, not liking the effect they had on him. Carlos frowned, wrinkling his nose as he awkwardly bent to pick up Dude to cradle to his chest, making it difficult to respond to Ben’s question with an arm full of dog. “Dude, come on. You’re just going to feel worse later if you don’t take them when you’re in pain, and I saw you favoring your right side when we were walking down here. Did you at least bring them?” Carlos nodded, gesturing with his head towards his bag and giving a half smile to the king, offering him the dog. Ben chuckled, reaching to take Dude with a shake of his head. “Don’t think the dog is going to make me forget that you didn’t take them, Carlos. Take them now.” Carlos pouted, and Ben gave a snort, setting Dude down on the ground. “Yeah, that might work with Jay or Diego but it’s not going to work on me, buddy. Go on.” Giving a sigh, Carlos swept up his bag from where it had been sitting on the ground as the limo pulled into the long driveway, opening it to take out a pill container to take two small white pills from. Popping the pills into his mouth, he swallowed before sticking his tongue out to show Ben that he had swallowed the pills. Ben gave a nod as the limo pulled in, and opened the door for Carlos to get in. 

_‘Do you think I’ll see my mom?’_

Ben frowned as he too entered the limo, sliding in beside Carlos and closing the door before Chip started to drive. It was a good question; he knew that the doctors working with Cruella wanted to see how the two would interact now that the woman had started medication and therapy, but he personally felt it was too soon after the incident on the Isle to put the two together. 

“They might have you see Cruella, if you’re comfortable with it. But only if you feel up to it, Carlos, okay? No one’s going to make you do something you’re uncomfortable with. I won’t let them.” Carlos gave Ben a soft smile, leaning slightly to press against his side as the car turned down a main road. 

_‘It’ll be okay if I do see her, I think. She’s not going to be able to hurt me with a bunch of doctors around, after all.’_

He had a point, of course, but Ben was still wary. Just because the woman wouldn’t be able to physically harm him didn’t mean she couldn’t lash out and do some mental damage- and Carlos still seemed fragile, was still recovering. 

“Okay. Just remember that if anything gets too overwhelming, all you have to do is say something and I’ll get you out of there, okay?” Carlos nodded, and Dude gave a small yip from his lap, Carlos smiling as he scratched the dog’s back. The two fell into silence as they continued their car ride, the hospital coming into view after several minutes of staring out the car window. 

_‘It’s a big hospital, isn’t it?’_

Ben gave a nod as Chip pulled up to the front door, and he got out of the car before offering Carlos a hand out. 

“It’s one of the top facilities in all of Auradon, actually. One of the biggest, too. Are you ready?” Carlos gave a nod, looking far more steady than Ben felt, and the two started towards the door, Carlos jumping slightly as it slid open automatically. Ben gave a wry smile, and Carlos slipped his arm into Ben’s to keep the king close as they walked towards the reception desk. The small, mousy looking elderly woman working the desk looked up at them, eyes widening as she spotted Ben standing before her. 

“King Ben! I didn’t know you’d be coming today, hello!” Ben offered the woman a smile, leaning slightly against the counter. 

“Hello, Mrs. Minnie. I didn’t know you were volunteering today, how have you been?” The woman waved her hand at him, giving him a smile as she settled back in her chair some, setting down the knitting she had been working on before the two teens had entered the room. 

“Oh, it’s been a day dear, it’s been a day. We had a bit of a ruckus earlier but nothing Jiminy couldn’t handle.” The woman peered around Ben to where Carlos was half hiding behind the king, and she offered him a warm, welcoming smile. “Well hello there, dear. Are you here to see a doctor then? I barely saw you behind Benjamin!” Carlos gave a small nod, eyes fixed on the woman as she turned towards the computer sat on the desk. “Can I have your name then?” Carlos shot a look at Ben, who cleared his throat. 

“Carlos de Vil. He can’t speak currently, I’m here to act as interpreter for him.” Minnie gave a nod, pulling up Carlos’ name on the computer before gesturing towards the elevator. 

“Jiminy’s waiting for you on the second floor, room 214. You just follow the yellow guide on the floor once you leave the elevator now, that’ll lead you right to him dear.” Carlos nodded, giving her a small smile, and Ben gave short bow before turning to leave, guiding Carlos towards the elevator doors. Reaching to press the button to call the elevator to their floor, Ben cast a glance at his friend as Carlos watched the doors with growing interest. 

“Oh, I guess you’ve probably never been on an elevator before, huh?” Carlos shook his head, and Ben grinned at him. “It’s not that bad. It’s a moving electrical box, I guess? It works on a pulley system, sort of like an electrical dumbwaiter I guess?” Carlos tilted his head as the door pinged, opening up to the inner room. Ben lead Carlos in, pressing the button for the second floor before leaning back against the far wall, watching Carlos look around the room with a smile.

_‘This is amazing Ben!’_

Ben couldn’t help but chuckle at the enthusiastic look on Carlos’ face as the elevator doors closed, reaching out to hold the smaller teen in place as it began it’s journey to the next floor. 

“It’s pretty cool, yeah. My grandfather actually helped put this particular elevator together...I think you’d actually really like my grandfather, he’s really into inventing things.” Carlos gave him a pleased look at the information, and the doors opened before them. Carlos nudged Ben, pointing out the yellow lines that had been mentioned earlier, and the two started their walk towards Jiminy Cricket’s office, Dude trailing behind them as they approached room 214. Stopping in front of the closed door, Ben reached out and knocked and a voice called for them to enter. 

“Ah, Benjamin. And this must be Mr. de Vil, am I right?” Ben moved to sit in one of the large, cushiony chairs seated before the oak desk, Carlos hesitating as he stared at the owner of the voice in confusion. 

“Yeah, this is Carlos. Carlos, this is Jiminy Cricket- most sought after psychologist in Auradon.” Carlos stared at the cricket who sat on the desk, brows furrowed before he turned a confused look to Ben. Ben nodded, and Carlos slid into his seat as he turned his attention back to the cricket. 

“I imagine you must be nervous, Carlos. I assure you, I’m only here to help you- we won’t do anything you feel uncomfortable with, and we’ll only move as fast as you feel you can in these sessions. Is that okay?” Carlos nodded, and Jiminy smiled, adjusting his vest slightly. “Excellent. Now, before we get started, Ben has informed me of what happened on the Isle but I would like to get the information in your words now, if that’s okay?” Carlos gave a hesitant nod, Dude jumping into his lap as he looked towards Ben. 

_‘I went to bring my cousin off the Isle and my mother tried to strangle me to death.’_

Ben relayed the words, scooting his chair a bit closer to Carlos as Jiminy wrote some things down on his notepad.

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Carlos. Would you like to tell me about your life on the Isle? Are you very close with your cousin?” Carlos gave a small nod, and began to sign almost quicker than Ben could translate.

_‘Diego’s really great. He looked out for me when we were younger, made sure I was okay even when my mom had a bad night. I think we’re pretty close, yes.’_

Jiminy nodded, gesturing towards Carlos as the teen seemed to relax fractionally, Dude curled in his lap like a lifeline. 

“And was Diego there when your mother attacked you?” Carlos frowned, tilting his head to the side some as he took a moment to respond. 

_‘Diego was the one who pulled my mother off of me. Diego is a good cousin. He’s always looked out for me, and he did his best this time too. I went looking for my mother; he couldn’t have stopped me from seeking her out, so none of this is his fault and I know that.’_

The teen fixed the cricket with a look, tilting his head against as he waited for the next question. 

“Do you blame yourself for your mother’s actions, Carlos?” Carlos rolled his eyes, turning to look at Ben to give him an exasperated look before returning his attention to the doctor. 

_‘Please. I use to think that it was my fault. That there had to be something I could do to stop her from hitting me or yelling at me or treating me like her slave. But I’m aware that my mother is an incredibly ill woman, sir. I’m also aware, logically, that how she treated me has nothing to do with me myself and everything to do with her illness. I’ve done a lot of research about my mother since coming to Auradon.’_

Ben reached out to offer Carlos his hand, noting how the boys own were shaking slightly as he finished his speech, and Carlos took it, giving it a grateful squeeze. Jiminy hummed, making a note before setting his tiny notebook down, fixing Carlos with a look. 

“You’re a very smart boy, Carlos. A lot of youth who have grown up in an abusive home are unable to see the realities of what has happened to them, but I suspect you’re not one of them. Is there anything you’d like to discuss, then?” Jiminy moved to sit on the edge of the desk, small beady eyes watching Carlos as he waited for the teen to speak, not pressuring him. Carlos frowned, his gaze moving to his lap as he tried to think of anything in particular he wanted to discuss. 

_‘My mothers illness...is it hereditary?’_

Jiminy gave a soft hum, moving to stand before making his way to lean over one of the papers on his desk that he had been reading before the two teens had entered the room. 

“Frankly, Carlos, I don’t think you have anything to worry about even if it were hereditary. Cruella began showing signs of her mental instability when she was quite young; she had no one helping her after her school years, and until her arrest after the incident with the Radcliffe’s puppies she refused to see any doctors about her illness. Your mother is the way she is today more from nurture than nature at this point; while you still run a slight risk of inheriting the disease, at this point I can confidently say that the risk is indeed minuscule.” Carlos gave a small nod, as though unsure if he trusted the cricket’s words. “Now, from what I’ve been told, both by your teachers and your peers that I’ve spoken with, you seem fairly well adjusted to life in Auradon. Is that correct?” Carlos gave a slight shrug, and Ben perked up as he leant forward to speak. 

“I have a bit of an answer for this one, if that’s okay?” Jiminy nodded, and Ben shifted his glance to Carlos for a moment before focusing on the doctor. “Carlos has adjusted to the classes as well as can be expected for someone as smart as he is. In fact, several teachers want to move him forward a grade, but it was decided that he’d benefit from advanced work courses instead of separating him from everyone he knows. He’s got a lot of friends now, too- he’s a pretty popular dude now that he’s not scared of everyone.” He shot Carlos a grin, and the younger teen snorted. “He’s still having nightmares, but that’s pretty much expected from all of you guys after living on the Isle, right?” Carlos gave a shrug, and Ben gave his hand a small squeeze. “He’s recovering well from the incident, which is really good.” Jiminy nodded, turning his attention back to Carlos as the younger teen shifted in his chair some. 

“Is there anything you’d like to add, Carlos? Things that might be on your mind, things that are new to you?” Carlos gave another shrug, hunching into himself some at the question, and Jiminy cleared his throat. “That’s alright. We’ve gone over quite a bit already for our first session. I do have someone who wants to meet you though, if you’re feeling up to it. Is that alright?” Carlos tilted his head curiously, and Jiminy chuckled. “Anita Radcliffe has asked to meet you today. It’s alright if you’re not comfortable with the idea yet, but she really would like to meet you. Is that okay?” Carlos hesitated, his fingers tightening on Ben’s hand as he considered the request. He had always been curious about the woman his mother had spent most of her life obsessing over; who she was, what she was like. He had always dreamt what it would be like to meet her, if she would know how much he resented her for all of the things his mother did to him in punishment for him not being her. He gave a small nod, turning slightly in his chair to follow the cricket as he made his way towards a button on his desk, jumping on it to let the door buzz and swing open. Both Ben and Carlos turned fully in their chairs to watch as the door opened wide, a tall, middle aged woman with strawberry blond hair entering the room quietly as she shut the door behind her. Carlos’ eyes traveled over her, taking in the tidy lines of her a-line skirt and blouse, the way she clutched her bag nervously in manicured hands as she made her way towards him. Blue-green eyes stared at Carlos, taking him in as the boy shifted nervously in his seat, and she stopped halfway to his chair, raising a delicate hand to her mouth as she gasped. 

“My goodness...you look just like her. You look just like Cruella, you must be Carlos.” Carlos glanced at Ben quickly before nodding, and the woman finished making her way to his chair, holding out her hand to him. “I’m Anita...I believe we may have quite a bit to discuss.”


	18. Chapter 18

Carlos stared at the woman standing before him, frowning at the delicate line of pearls draped along her neck, creamy white beads with a single black pearl sat snug in the middle. His mother had the matching piece of the set, the black pearls still shimmering like oil slicks in the locked jewelry box on her bedside table back at Hell Hall, rarely worn. Anita stood before him, prim and proper and everything that he wasn’t, couldn’t ever have been in attempting to measure up and fill the hole the woman had left in his mother’s cold, dead heart. His frown deepened, and he felt a tendril of hot anger rise within him, latching onto the calmness he had strived to push forward.

This was the woman his mother obsessed over?

The woman was quiet, timid even in her approach, as though she feared that Carlos would lash out at her. It was the same look people on the Isle who hadn’t met him but knew of his mother shot towards him, as though he were about to attack them, like he was an animal who needed to be handled instead of a child seeking their attention. He turnedP to Ben, signing to be translated to the king.

_‘Ask her why she’s here.’_

Ben repeated the words, and Anita offered them both a half smile before taking a step towards Carlos nervously.

“Oh, I know sign language, dear. I work with several death people. I came to see you.” Carlos fixed her with a calculating look, and the woman faltered slightly under his gaze. “I had no idea Cruella had a child...had I known, I would have petitioned to get you off the Isle sooner. She is certainly not mentally well, never has been..at all fit to raise a child.” Carlos bristled slightly at the words, his fists balling in his lap as he considered Anita’s words.

__‘No adult on the Isle was fit to raise a kid, except maybe Anastasia Tremaine. We shouldn’t have been left there as soon as King Adam realized there were children being born there. But you knew my mom. You knew she was crazy and instead of getting her help you let them shunt her off to the Isle without any medication, no doctors, nothing. You’re the reason I was born.’__

Ben frowned, leaning in his seat to touch Carlos’ arm lightly, causing the smaller teen to flinch unconsciously.

“Carlos, I don’t think that’s really fair to blame Anita fo-“ Ben’s words were cut off as Carlos pushed his hand away, frowning deeply as he moved to stand, his hands moving a mile a minute.

___‘The whole reason my mother had a baby was because Anita had a baby. And then when I was born, I wasn’t a girl. I wasn’t good enough because Anita had a girl. Every day of my life I had to hear about Anita this and Anita that, how I would never be good enough to make her happy because I wasn’t you. Do you know what that’s like? To pale in comparison to someone you’ve never met? The only name I knew besides my own and my mothers until I was six was yours, and I hated you so much.’___

Anita’s eyes widened at the seething look Carlos shot her, his pacing bringing him to the large window by Jiminey’s desk. He stared out over the court yard of the hospital, his eyes falling over a group of patients sat in a circle in the grass.

“I’m so sorry, Carlos. Your mother always had an...obsession with me, even in our school days. Her parents were rarely home, and Cecil was older than us so she didn’t spend a lot of time with him when we were children...it was hard on her.” He spun to stare at her, really taking in the woman his mother had spoken so highly of. He had anticipated an outspoken, vibrant woman; one who was beautiful and delicate but also strong enough to handle his mother.

Expectations rarely lived up to reality, he supposed.

____‘I’m not looking for an explanation as to why my mom treated me the way she did. I’ve done the research, and I’ve made my peace with the fact that my mother is incredibly unwell. What I’d like to know is why no one DID anything. You knew she was unwell, and you just shipped her off.’____

Silence fell over the room, no answer to his half question forthcoming. He moved, making his way towards the door, gesturing for Ben to follow him. The young king jumped up, coming to a halt as Carlos paused, his hand gripping the door handle tightly as he cast a bitter look over his shoulder at both Anita, who looked shell shocked at Carlos’ outburst, and Jiminey.

_____‘And you all say we’re the villains.’_____

He shoved the door open, pushing through to take off down the hall, and Ben shot Jiminey and Anita an apologetic look as he followed the younger teen out into the hall.

“Carlos? Hey, slow down, you’re not suppose to be running!” Ben hurried to catch up with Carlos, noting the way he favoured his side as he slipped past the nurse’s station and out the side door. Pushing open the door to follow, Ben was surprised to find Carlos hadn’t gone much further- bent almost double with one arm wrapped tightly around his stomach, panting heavily, cheeks flushed. Ben took a moment to catch his breath, watching Carlos carefully from the corner of his eye as the other teen slowly straightened to stand.

______‘I’m sorry, Ben, I couldn’t do it. I had to leave.’______

Ben frowned, dropping a hand on Carlos’ shoulder to turn him to face him fully. The white haired boy looked rough; his eyes flickered from Ben towards the building again, a slight shudder running through him as his expression grew pinched.

“It’s okay, Carlos. You weren’t expecting her to be there, and that wasn’t fair.” Carlos nodded, taking a few slow breaths as his gaze moved out over the yard of the hospital.

_______‘Can we go home now?’_______

Ben offered the smaller teen a warm smile, nodding towards the parking lot as he turned to lead them towards the limo.

“Yeah buddy, we can go home.”

-=-=-

“Jay! Get your head in the game, or you’re going to be benched for the rest of practice!” Jay turned to wave at the coach, shaking his hair from his face as he jogged to meet up with Chad, Herkie and Aziz, wiping his arm across his forehead to catch the sweat that had accumulated. Chad wrinkled his nose as Jay cast an arm around the princes shoulders, edging slightly away from Jay as Aziz snorted.

“Ugh, Jay. You sweat so much.” Jay beamed, ruffling Chad’s hair as Aziz nudged the ex thief with his elbow.

“So what’s with you today? You’re all over the place, dude.” Jay gave a small shrug, and Herkie flicked his arm.

“Ow, jeeze Herk. Carlos has an appointment at the hospital today, I’m worried about him. Ben went with him but…” he shrugged again, and Aziz gave him a gentle smile as he pat his friends shoulder.

“It’s the waiting to see if he’s okay after that’s killing you, right? My dad’s the same way after my moms sessions with her therapist.” Chad’s tone was almost forced into boredom as he spoke, pushing Jay’s arm off of him with a dramatic sniff. Jay tilted his head slightly to look at the blond, recalling the information Carlos had revealed before they’d gone back to the Isle.

“Yeah. He’s not really good at talking about feelings and shit either; you have to pry any information out of him with a crowbar usually. I know this is suppose to be good for him but I’m worried it’ll do more damage that good, you know?” The trio nodded, and all four glanced up as Jay’s name was called out across the field. Ben was jogging towards them, and Jay pulled away from the group to meet him halfway across the field.

“Ben? What’s wrong?” Jay’s brow furrowed as Ben came to a stop before him, the coach making his way across the field to meet them.

“The session with Jiminey didn’t go so great. Anita showed up unexpectedly, it really threw Carlos off...he’s locked himself in your guy’s closet. I could really use your help.” Jay frowned, glancing at the coach to make sure it was okay for him to leave, and at the teachers nod he took off towards the dorms, Ben following behind him.

“Did she do anything to him?” Jay’s jaw was clenched as he pushed past Lonnie and Jane, ignoring the two when they called out to him in his focus to get to Carlos.

“She was talking about Cruella, how she knew she was mentally unwell. Carlos accused her of being the reason he was born, and then it all went downhill from there.” Jay grunted as he took the stairs two at a time, pausing as they reached the landing for the floor with their dorms to turn to Ben.

“I think it’ll be better if I go alone. If he feels crowded he’ll never come out of the closet.” Both boys paused at the sentence, Jay snorting slightly as Ben tried not to snicker in light of the seriousness of the conversation. “Ok seriously though. I’ll let you know if I need you okay?” Ben gave a nod, and Jay turned to make his way to his and Carlos’ dorm room. Pushing open the door, he couldn’t help the small smile as he immediately noted that Carlos had pulled all of the blankets from both bed and somehow managed to stuff them into the closet with him.

“C? You hiding in there?” He pulled his Tourney jersey off to toss into the hamper, slipping into the bathroom to give himself a quick wipe down with a washcloth. “Ben says you had a rough day. Knock on the wall if I’m not just talking to the empty room.” He paused a second, waiting for the tap-tap of knuckles on the wall before he continued, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a soft, threadbare shirt. Returning to the bedroom, he stood before the closet door, crossing his arms over his chest as he noticed a familiar tail sticking out of the slightly opened door. “You wanna come out?” There was a single knock on the wall, and Jay gave a hum, shifting from one foot to the other. “Alright. Do you want to talk about what happened?” Another single knock, this one hard enough to shake the door slightly. “Okay. Can I come in?” A hesitant pause, then two solid knocks. Jay grinned, pulling the door open some more before kneeling, shifting Dude out of the way to crawl into the nest of blankets with Carlos. The younger teen sat with his knees pulled to his chest, his chin resting on his knees as he stared at the blanket in front of him. Jay settled beside him, slipping an arm around Carlos’ waist to pull the other against him some.

“She’s not what I expected.” Jay jumped slightly at the raspy voice that escaped his companion; Doc Sweet hadn’t wanted him talking much while he recovered, but that didn’t mean Carlos couldn’t talk, and it had startled him.

_“_ What was she like?” His words were soft in the darkness of the closet, and Carlos leaned into him, closing his eyes as he soaked up the other teens warmth. 

“A mouse.” Jay snorted, and Carlos lazily swatted at him, giving a huff. “She was scared. Of me.” Jay’s brows furrowed, and Carlos made a soft noise in the back of his throat before turning some, pressing his face into the crook of Jay’s shoulder and curling his fingers in the soft fabric over the older teen’s heart. “She tried too hard. Not like Ben. Worse.” Jay nodded, letting Carlos speak at his own pace, the words slightly muffled against his shoulder.

“Nothing special from the sounds of it.” Silence rang in the small room for a moment, Dude wiggling his way closer as Jay rubbed his thumb against Carlos’ shoulder gently.

“Then what does that make me?” Jay tilted his head, pressing a soft kiss to Carlos’ temple, squeezing him closer as he let out a soft huff.

_“_ The reason I get up in the morning.” There was a moment of stunned silence before Carlos let out a painful sounding snort, his body shaking with the force of his sudden, nearly silent laughter. 

“Oh my god dude. That was gay.” Jay gave him a playful nudge, a wide grin spreading across his face at Carlos’ laughter.

“You’re gay, asshole. Ugh, see if I ever say anything romantic to you again.” Carlos gave a whine, shifting to half crawl into Jay’s lap, pouting.

“Aw, no, it was incredibly romantic. I’m wooed.” Jay smirked, pressing forward to place a firm kiss to the other teens mouth, Carlos melting against him with a hum.

“You need to stop talking, you sound like you gargled with acid. Unless you need to talk more about what happened today?” Carlos gave a soft whine, and Jay chuckled. “Okay. We are going to talk about it later though.” Carlos nodded, and Jay pulled him closer, pressing their lips together. Carlos sank into the kiss happily. Large hands slipped under Carlos’ shirt to press along his spine, pulling him closer still. They settled into a rhythm, feeling out each other’s body in the quiet solitude of the closet before breaking apart, Jay pressing his forehead to Carlos’ chest as he caught his breath, his hips rolling under the smaller teen in small, almost unconscious motions.

“Does this make us boyfriends?” Carlos’ voice was husky, though from arousal or his injury Jay couldn’t be certain, and Jay wrinkled his nose, pressing his face to the slick skin of Carlos’ neck, licking a gentle line across the pulse point he found there.

“Do we have to call it boyfriends? That’s so...Auradon.” Carlos snorted, bringing his hands up to tangle in Jay’s hair, tugging sharply to bring his head back and tilt it upwards.

“Well what would you like to call us then?” Jay hummed as Carlos ducked to kiss slow, lazy open mouthed kisses just under his jaw, giving a soft moan as his hands slipped down to grip Carlos’ hips tightly.

“How about partners in crime? Because you’re mouth, fuck C, it should be criminal.” Carlos hummed, nipping at Jay’s ear, and Jay groaned as the smaller teen pulled away, leaning up just enough to press a soft kiss to his lips before curling against him, wincing slightly. “Shit, are you okay, Carlos?” Carlos hummed, patting Jay’s chest a few times before leaning up some to bring his mouth to Jay’s ear.

“Just a little overwhelmed. And starting to hurt. Can we rain check this and just sit here?” Jay wrapped his arms around Carlos, setting them into a more comfortable— position and reaching to curl one of the blankets around them.

“Yeah dude. We got all the time in the world.” He felt Carlos relax against him, and he left the soft rise and fall of the boys chest against his to lull him to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe we're on chapter 19 already? I feel like this is dragging on forever for a story that was suppose to be about Carlos bringing his cousin to Auradon...whoops! I'm super happy you all stuck with me this long! So there's....I want to say about 9 chapters left of this story? But I also have a terrible habit of adding to the plot as I go so who knows, it could go on longer...if it does I apologize in advance!
> 
> Also prepare yourselves for some bullshit scientific explanations ahead. I tried to make sense....I really tried!

Auradon was weird. 

Harry had yet to attend a class that hadn’t seemed completely backwards from what he was use to. Being nice? Not his forte. People smiling at him as though they were friends? Suspicious. Being rewarded for answering questions and doing well? A strange and mysterious thing indeed. Everything was bright and cheerful, and he didn’t know how he felt about it.

It was weird. 

Gil seemed to be doing fine, for once in his element for the most part. He smiled at the people around him, waved and held conversations that were borderline cheerful, and Harry couldn’t help but wonder just how the other teen did it. Gil claimed it just came naturally to him, and Harry had shook his head, unable to figure it out. 

It didn’t matter, because they were here to deal with the issue of his dreams. 

His dreams, which he had hoped would stop once they left the Isle- they hadn’t, had only grown stronger and more frequent now that they had crossed the barrier into a world where magic was everywhere- were beginning to get out of control. He wasn’t even dreaming anymore; he was feeling things Carlos felt, as though they were happening to him. He had felt the anger rising in him like a phantom while Carlos was at the hospital, had felt the pain in his side as though he’d been the one running afterwards. Had felt a wave of want come out of nowhere, assuming that it had come from the younger teen. Fairy Godmother had assured him that she had a theory as to what was happening, but had wanted to wait for Carlos to return and feel up to a meeting before she discussed it.

Now, he sat with Carlos and Diego in front of the headmistress’ desk, all three teens waiting for the woman to come back from the phone call she had been on when they’d arrived. Diego sat with his long legs stretched out in front of him, booted feet nearly kicking the leg of the desk as beside him Carlos bounced slightly in his seat, anxiety thrumming through him like electricity. Harry sat sedately, one hand on the arm of the chair while the other reached out to hook a finger in Carlos’ shirt sleeve, tugging him closer to give him a pointed look. 

“Stop.”

Carlos frowned, slipping out of Harry’s grasp as behind them, Jay slipped into the room and dropped his hands onto Carlos’ shoulders with a soft smile. Carlos grinned at him, and Diego made a noise of frustration as he turned to look at the ex-thief. 

“Is she still on the damn phone, Jay?” Jay nodded, lacing his fingers with Carlos’ as Diego let out a groan. 

“Dude where do you even have to be right now? This is like, an excuse not to be in class.” Carlos snorted, tugging on Jay’s hand as he tilted his head back to look up at him. 

“You’re not even suppose to be here, Jay.” Harry and Diego both winced at the harsh quality of Carlos’ voice, though Jay seemed to be use to the sound as he leant to press a playful kiss on the smaller teen’s nose. 

“Yeah but I’m great moral support, right?” Carlos snorted, and Harry rolled his eyes as he slumped in his seat some. 

“The two of you are disgusting.” He snapped, still a bit bitter at the relationship between the two. Jay scowled, shifting to move between Harry and Carlos, and Carlos rolled his eyes as he flashed a look at an amused Diego. 

“Is this my life from now on? Because if so, I want out.” Carlos’ grumble pulled the two out of their stare off, and Diego burst into laughter as Jay shot him a hurt look, pouting slightly as behind them the door swung open. 

“So sorry about that wait, gentlemen, but I had to take that ca-Jay, what are you doing here? You should be in class.” Jay beamed at Fairy Godmother, who frowned delicately as she moved to sit at her desk. 

“Moral support!” He stated proudly as he jabbed his thumb into his chest, and she huffed a small sigh as she gestured for him to remain where he was standing, aware that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. 

“Alright, I imagine the group of you would like some answers in regards to all these visions going around?” Carlos nodded eagerly, and Harry shifted forward in his chair in anticipation. “From what we can tell, the magical feedback from breaking the shield needed to find some sort of conduit to funnel itself into. When you interrupt magic waves, the field has to find a path or the whole spell breaks apart. You were the direct cause of the disruption, so the magic was close enough to latch onto you.” Carlos frowned, shaking his head slightly as he felt the explanation out.

“Why just me? Evie was there too.” Fairy Godmother frowned, thinking his words over a minute before nodding to herself.

“The magic probably was deflected by her own natural magics being blocked by the barriers own magic.” Carlos nodded slowly, shifting in his seat some as Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. “When the magic latched onto you, it opened your entire being to both the magic outside of the barrier and the magic trapped within it.” She hesitated, shooting a glance at the other three boys. “When you came here, to Auradon, the magic...came to life, so to speak. Where Mal, Evie and Jay all had magic within them from their heritage, it took longer for the magic to find a form in you where you are magicless naturally.” Carlos gave a slight nod, and beside him Diego cleared his throat, leaning forward to give the woman a look.

“So because he’s not magical, will all this bullshit just go away once the magics gone from his system or whatever?” Fairy Godmother frowned at the language, but let it slide in favour of shaking her head no.

“The magic from the barrier changed him. It’s a part of him now, one that seems to be growing if the range of these...visions, we’ll call them, are to be taken into account.” Carlos stared at the woman, brows furrowed, and Harry waved his hand, catching the attention of the room.

“Alright, So then why can I feel every bloody thing he’s feeling if he’s feeling them hard enough then?” Fairy Godmother’s frown grew, and Harry slumped in his chair again.

“I’m not sure, to be honest with you. The only thing I can think of that might cause it is that Carlos is unable to control it, and it’s reaching out, interacting with those important to him.” Diego wrinkled his nose, casting a glare towards Harry as Carlos flushed, gripping Jay’s hand.

“So that explains me and Jay, but Carlos isn’t close to that...that…” Diego's face shifted in anger as Harry shifted closer to Carlos, and he snarled as he pointed at the pirate, “You aren’t forgiven, Hook, and I’ll be damned if you’re important to him.” Harry shifted in his seat, his mouth opening to reply; and Carlos cut in, his voice cutting between them harshly.

“You don't get to decide that, Diego. I decide whose important to me, and he’s important.” All eyes darted to the youngest as he straightened in his seat, eyes focused on the desk they sat before. “What he’s done doesn’t change that he was important to me, Diego. Our...arrangement...happened whether you like it or not. And it wasn’t all bad. Harry’s working on earning my forgiveness, you need to just...let it go for right now, Diego, please. Not right now.” His eyes flickered to the woman seated at the desk, and Diego stared at his cousin before sinking back in his chair as Carlos coughed into his elbow, his throat sore from so much talking.

“Yeah, you heard Pup. I’m important.” Harry raised his brows at the look on Diego’s face, and behind Carlos, Jay cleared his throat.

“Guys, quit it. We’re here to find out what’s going on with the magic, not to rehash things that happened three years ago that Carlos very clearly doesn’t want to get into in front of Fairy Godmother.” Diego’s expression softened some as he took in just how haggard Carlos looked; instantly feeling bad for dragging up things he should have know his cousin would want to keep private from the headmistress. 

“So did the magic from the barrier change me on a biological level then? How does that even work?” Carlos’ tone was curious as he shifted forward in his seat, trying to change the topic as subtly as possible while the two older teens continued to exchange angry looks over his chair. Fairy Godmother gave Carlos a small smile, amused at the interest the teen had taken into the science aspect of the magic he had found himself pulled into. 

“Once magic enters your body, it changes you chemically. While some would have you pretend that there were some sort of magical gland that produced magic in those of us who have a natural inclination towards it, the truth of the matter is that even regular, everyday non-magical humans have the capability to perform magic Carlos. But there is something within that blocks most from using it, causing a sort of buildup that can be released during situations like this one..” Carlos nodded, though the rest of the room seemed to fall into slightly confused silence.

“Sort of like a kidney stone.” Fairy Godmother snorted, covering her mouth delicately as she tried not to laugh full-out, and Carlos gave her a small, sly smile. “I mean, I’m not really wrong right? Magical build up leading to a sudden, painful release?” He wrinkled his nose, tapping the left side of his forehead. “Cause it hurts right here sometimes? Though that might be from the strangulation, Doc Sweets said I’d have headaches for a while while I recover…” Fairy Godmother frowned slightly, and Jay reached to rub Carlos’ shoulder gently as the woman moved around the desk to press the tips of her fingers to the spot Carlos had pointed out. 

“I don’t think it’s from the magic from the feel of it dear, no. But do let myself or someone else know if the pain gets worse, alright?” Carlos nodded, and she pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest as she took in the four boys. “Now, what we must do is figure out what to do while young Carlos here learns to control these new magical powers. I could put a sort of field around him, preventing him from projecting thoughts at the three of you and from him receiving them from you, but…” she hesitated, glancing down at the top of Carlos’ head with a small frown. 

“But?” Jay prompted, tilting his head slightly as he watched the flicker of emotion over the woman’s face. “What would happen if you did that?” Fairy Godmother shifted against the desk she leant against, her brows furrowing slightly as she tried to piece together what she had to say. 

“Blocking magic, especially new, untamed magic, can be dangerous. It could lash out, it could internalize and hurt the caster...I’ve even seen some new magic users fall comatosed if the spell’s aren’t done properly. Or, nothing could happen and the magic would be blocked until Carlos is deemed capable of controlling it. It’s a precarious balance, and in the end it is up to Carlos what he’d like to do. The magic itself isn't harmful, it's not hurting anyone...just making things a bit awkward for all of you. I don't have to force you to have the block, Carlos.” All eyes turned to Carlos, who flushed slightly at the sudden attention. 

“I don’t like the idea of trying to block it. I mean, if it’s a part of me now, I need to learn to live with it...right?” Fairy Godmother nodded, and Carlos gave a little cough, frowning. “But Harry’s getting the visions too...that’s not fair.” Behind him, Jay gave a none-too-subtle cough, and Carlos tilted his head back to give the older teen a look. 

“I think I got one last night, C...were you down in the kitchens around two?” Carlos’ brows furrowed as he turned more in his seat, ignoring the way Fairy Godmother’s lips tilted down in slight disapproval to the news that he had been out of the dorms after curfew. 

“I had to go get something to take my painkillers with, yeah...you saw that?” Jay nodded, letting his hands slip down Carlos’ shoulders so the other teen could grasp at his hands. 

“I thought it was a dream at first, but yeah. You ate a turkey sandwich, right?” Carlos nodded, and Diego made a disgruntled noise beside them. 

“I thought I dreamt that too.I woke up because I felt like something was pressing against my side, right where C’s broken rib is...” Carlos’ frown deepened, and Harry gave a scoff as he brought his arms back behind his head with a smug smirk. 

“Welcome to the highly exclusive club, boys. Sort of terrifying, isn’t it?” Diego and Jay exchanged a look, and Carlos sank into his seat, his eyes wide as he took in the information. 

People dreamt about things he did. 

People could _feel_ things he felt. 

He dropped his stare to the floor, his breathing hitching as he thought back to the unhealthy amount of anger he’d felt towards Anita, the trapped desperation that had spread through him when he’d fled the hospital. The overwhelming, pressure filled void when he’d returned to the school and locked himself in the closet, the waves of want he'd felt with Jay afterwards.

The weak helplessness he felt whenever he relived his mother’s hands around his throat, squeezing, pressure building inside of him like a balloon ready to pop…

“Carlos. Carlos, dear, it’s alright, you’re alright.” He blinked, Fairy Godmother’s concerned face hovering over him as he realized he was hyperventilating, hands tightly curled into fists against his chest. Slightly to the left of the woman, Jay and Diego hovered anxiously, and he tried to force himself to calm down. 

“I can’t force that on everyone.” He whispered, blinking away tears he hadn’t even known were waiting to fall. “I can’t….that’s not fair. You guys don’t need to feel every messed up thing I feel, that’s not fair at all.” Jay moved, quicker than he had the entire time he’d been in the room, to drop to his kneels in front of Carlos, taking both of his hands and pressing kisses to his knuckles. 

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not like you’re controlling it, C. No one here blames you.” Harry cleared his throat behind Jay, and the other teen shot him a look. 

“I was just going to say that we understand, calm yourself down. We’re just worried about you, Pup.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Fairy Godmother placed a hand on his shoulder gently, causing him to look up at her. 

“As I said, we can block the magic if that’s what you like, but there’s no promises that it won’t cause more problems. The decision is up to you, dear.” Carlos chewed his bottom lip, and from his seat Diego piped up. 

“You aren’t blocking shit. If Carlos is in any way in danger with blocking the magic, then it’s not happening. We aren’t risking more magical bullshit just because C is worried that we can’t handle his emotions getting broadcast to us. We’re adaptable, Carlos. We’ll be fine while you learn to control it. Okay?” A look to the others saw them nodding in agreement, and Carlos let out a small sigh as he gave a nod of his own. 

“Okay...I think I want to try to learn to control it then. If...if everyone’s sure.” The group nodded again, and Fairy Godmother smiled as she turned to return to her desk. 

“Excellent decision, Carlos. I’ll switch around your schedule some and you can join Mal in her Magic Control sessions. Sometimes it helps to have someone else with you to help guide you in these classes.” Carlos nodded, and the woman gestured towards the door. “Alright then. The four of you are free to go them.” The four stood, turning almost as one to head to the door, and Fairy Godmother couldn’t help the small smile as she watched all three older teens pause just long enough to put Carlos in the middle of them all; Harry leading the way, Jay beside him and Diego taking the rear point. 

The youngest de Vil appeared to be in good hands...several, to be precise.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short. This story is cresting towards the end; only about 9 chapters or so to go! Also I want to point out once more, my Carlos in this is more based off of the books than the movies, though I'm trying to tailor him closer to how he talks in the movies...

A week didn’t feel like a long time.

One week out of recovery; attending classes and of breaking up fights between his cousin, Harry and Jay. A week of ‘are you okay?’ and ‘how are you feeling?’, of being just slightly on edge any time he fell asleep and jumpy anytime someone got too close to his throat. He’d had two more sessions with Jiminey that had left him feeling worse than he had before, two hours of forcing himself to try to open up in the span of four days, and he wondered if maybe the sessions were too much for him to handle in the span Jiminey was insisting he attended them.

“Carlos, you’re not going to feel better unless you put more into these sessions.” It would take so little effort to lean over and swat the cricket off the desk; to grab his bag and leave, to storm through the halls to where the Auradon Prep carriage was waiting. Ben had spouted that Jiminey was the best therapist in the land, but Carlos wasn’t so certain that the cricket knew what he was doing when confronted with the sort of trauma the Isle wrought.

“It’s not that easy.” He muttered, hands fisted in his lap as he stared at the dark grain of the desk, refusing to meet Jiminey’s eyes as he tried to glare a hole through the desk.

“No one ever claimed therapy would be easy, Carlos. But you’re a very smart boy, you should know that it’s going to take more than three sessions to reach a breakthrough.” He was a very smart boy; smart enough to do his research, learn statistics and read first hand accounts of sessions both helping and hurting recovery.

“Statistically, yes, but therapy doesn’t always help the situation. Two out of every ten people who seek therapeutic help get nothing out of the sessions at all, and one in ten actually experience setbacks in their recovery.” Silence fell over them for a moment before Jiminey cleared his throat, moving towards his open notebook spread over the desk.

“You’re not just a statistic, Carlos. And you know you’re allowed to take a more active roll in your recovery, is there anything you’d like to do or discuss?” Carlos shifted, pulling his legs up under him in his seat as he thought for a moment.

“How is my mother’s recovery going?” The last vision he’d had his mother had featured in, curled on a bed with Anita gently rubbing her back, muttering soothingly to her. “Anita’s been to see her, right?” Jiminey glanced up at him, and Carlos frowned some as the cricket seemed to shift awkwardly. He still felt weird, talking to an insect for an hour a week, and it disturbed him that he couldn’t read the subtle changes in Jiminey’s features.

“You know I can’t discuss your mother’s recovery with you, Carlos.” A wave of anger swelled inside him, heavy heat settling in his chest at the words. He had said the same thing the week before, and a frustrated Carlos had gone back to the dorms to do some research in regards to the matter.

“And you should know better than to lie to a patient, Jiminey. I know you can’t legally keep information from next of kin. I’m the only kin she has here- to keep information from me is illegal and if I were so inclined I could sue you.” Silence fell between them again, and Carlos curled his fingers tighter into his palm, nails biting into the soft skin as he waited for the cricket to state his piece.

“It’s not illegal to keep information from the next of kin if they are also in therapy and the information might be detrimental to their own recovery.” Carlos nearly snarled as he leant forward in his seat, slamming a fist down on the desk in anger.

“Nothing you tell me about that woman could set me back in my own recovery! You think I haven’t had visions about her since coming back? That I don’t already know Anita’s been spending an hour a day with her, that she doesn’t even remember she has a son currently? Do you really think I’m that dumb, that naive to think that her recovery is going well? I’ve lived with my mother for fourteen years, I know she’s too far gone to be helped. I’m not one of your Auradon clients, I don’t want platitudes and assurances. I want the truth, I want to know that she’s getting the help she needs, and I want to know that she’s never going to be able to hurt anyone again. I don’t want to be lied to any more, I’m so sick of being lied to.” He slumped in his seat, staring blankly ahead of himself as Jiminey gave a soft hum, moving back to the edge of the desk.

“I’m sorry, Carlos. You’re absolutely right; I’ve been treating you as though you lived in Auradon your entire life, and that’s not fair. You’ve had very different experiences in your life, and I apologize for not taking that into account. I keep treating you as though you’re a child, but you haven’t been for some time now, have you?” Carlos shook his head, lips pressed tightly together as his eyes traveled over the desk to look out the window. 

“You don’t get to have a childhood on the Isle.” His words were soft, faraway from the warm office he sat in, and Jiminey watched him silently for a long moment before he spoke softly.

“You’re allowed to have one here, Carlos. No one will begrudge you, or your friends, that. “ Carlos shot him a look, staring for a moment before giving a snort, shaking his head.

“No we aren’t. We’re expected to try harder than anyone else, like if we don’t put 110% into being our very best we’ll slip up and be bad again. We aren’t allowed to have a childhood anymore than Ben is now that he’s king...and you want to talk about detrimental, Ben barely has time to do all of his classes, let alone to have five minutes for himself. Everyone expects him to be the perfect king, but he’s still learning. It’s completely unrealistic to hold him to the standards of kings who have been ruling for decades.” He frowned, shifting slightly in his seat. “Everyone in Auradon is so stuck on the old traditions they they don’t see how damaging those traditions can be. Ruling before you’re old enough to legally drink? Who thought that was a good idea? Sure, centuries ago when people rarely lived past their forties, totally coronate a new king at sixteen. But now? People apparently live forever in Auradon, for evil’s sake! Look at Queen Leah, she could still be ruling right now and she’s in her seventies. It makes no sense for Ben to have to be king now. King Adam is barely in his forties.” He flexed his hands in his lap, frowning heavily as he glared at the front of the desk.

“You’re quite right, Carlos. I myself have brought up the fact that the young adults of Auradon Prep are ill prepared to take over their parents kingdoms the young, if only because they never had a chance to go be children. I fully agree with you that some traditions should be abolished. I think we adults forget that you’re all still so young because of the incredible maturity you’ve all shown, and that’s not fair to any of you.” Carlos nodded, and from the corner of the desk the small timer buzzed, alerting them to the end of the session. “That appears to be the end of our time today, Carlos. I’m glad you decided to open up some to me, it truly gives me better insight into what you’re feeling.” Carlos shrugged, moving to get up as he pulled his bag from the floor. “Same time next week.” Nodding, Carlos made his way out the door, taking a moment before turning to make his way towards the nurses station, sidling up to the desk with a coy smile. He’d learnt quickly that the nurses adored him; several of them found him adorable, and he always played up his innocent charm whenever he stopped to see them after his sessions.

“Hello, Anya. How are you today? That shade of yellow looks good on you.” The young nurse looked up at him, smiling warmly as she set down the chart she’d been reading to turn her attention to the teen.

“Hello, Carlos. Done your session already?” Carlos didn’t miss the way her eyes dipped to the still healing bruises around his neck, though he was pleased that she barely winced anymore when she did it. 

“Yeah, just now. I was wondering if I could see her, maybe?” His tone was hopeful, and he pouted slightly as the older woman glanced down the hall towards where Carlos knew his mother’s room to be. 

“You know I’m not suppose to let you see her, Carlos. Jiminey doesn’t think that you’re ready for that yet.” Carlos frowned, leaning against the desk as he let the words sink in. Jiminey didn’t think he was ready to see his mother- he could understand his hesitance, he supposed, but it was still ridiculous. He had seen his mother every day for his entire life before leaving the Isle, he doubted seeing her for five minutes now would do anything new. 

“Please, Anya? Just five minutes, just long enough to make sure she’s okay...I know she’s a villain, but she’s still my mom.” Anya frowned, glancing at the charts on the desk in front of her before looking down the hall again, letting out a small sigh. 

“Five minutes, no more. And you stay outside of the room, okay?” Carlos nodded eagerly, and the nurse lead him to room 201. The door held a small window, just large enough to give Carlos a full sight of the small, white walled room that lay behind the door. 

“Has she been taking to her therapy sessions okay?” His gaze settled on the form laying on the bed, curled up on her side. She wore a white robe over red scrubs, her wild hair hanging limply as she seemingly slept in peace. 

“She’s calmed down quite a bit since starting therapy. Only a few outbursts, usually when her medication’s starting to wear off. Mrs. Radcliffe has had a large hand in keeping her calm as well…” She cast a look at Carlos, a small frown on her face. 

“She hasn’t asked about me at all, has she.” His throat felt tight, and his fingers curled against the cool steel of the door as his eyes remained on his mother. He expected as much, but a small part of him had hoped she would at least ask about him once she had settled into a routine. 

“I’m sorry, Carlos. She hasn’t. But I’m sure it’s just because she’s been spending a lot of time sleeping, and it takes a few weeks for the medication to really start having an effect…” Carlos shot the woman a look, and she shrank back slightly as he pressed his face to the window again. 

“I don’t need your sympathies.” He muttered, eyes focusing on the notebook lying on the bedside table next to Cruella. “My mother has never cared about me. I sort of hoped that she’d at least acknowledge me more once medicated but I wasn’t expecting miracles, Anya. Is that a sketchbook?” The nurse nodded, and Carlos let out a small hum. “Are you sure I can’t talk to her?” Anya shifted on her feet, an uncomfortable look crossing her face, and behind them someone cleared their throat. 

“I thought Jiminey told you that you shouldn’t be trying to see your mother right yet, Carlos.” Carlos spun on his heel, pressing himself flat to the door as he took in the sight of Anita standing behind him, her purse clutched in well manicured hands. She seemed harmless in her peach blouse and tan skirt, but for some reason Carlos felt a shiver of fear run through him as his eyes met hers. 

“I just want to talk to her.” He murmured, eyes never leaving Anita as the woman took a small step towards him. “You’re allowed to talk to her, why can’t I? It’s not going to hurt my recovery. It’s not going to hurt anything. I just want to talk to her.” Anita frowned, glancing at Anya as the nurse frowned, shaking her head. 

“Talking to her could trigger a setback, Carlos. No one wants to keep you from talking to Cruella to be mean to you. We just want to do what’s best for you...for both of you.” Carlos’ brows furrowed in confusion, and Anita gave a small sigh. “She hasn’t asked to see you, Carlos.” He gave a shrug, and Anita’s frown deepened. “Doesn’t that bother you? It’s been weeks.” 

“She’s never asked after me before, Mrs. Radcliffe. I don’t see why this time should make any difference. I just want to see her, have a chance to speak to her. I don’t think it’s asking much.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and Anita and Anya shared a look. 

“If we’re both here, I don’t think it should be a problem…” Anita murmured to the other woman, who gave a small nod. 

“If you think it’s alright, then I suppose I could let him into the room...for just a few minutes, no more. Understood?” Carlos nodded eagerly, and Anya moved to unlock the door, pushing it open. 

“Go on then. Try not to aggravate her.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is a beast at almost 4000 words. It was also one of the personally hardest emotionally ones I've ever had to write, which is in part why it took awhile so...I hope you guys enjoy it. 
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Fairly in depth discussion about rape. Self-blame of rape happening. If discussion of rape happening is upsetting to you or potentially triggering, don't ready past Evie asking Carlos about boyfriends. 
> 
> Also while I'm usually hip to criticism about what I write, this chapter hits really close to home so I would like to request that any criticism about how Carlos specifically has handled his situation be left out of any comments.

Carlos stepped into the room, hesitating only slightly as he cross to stand next to the bed. His mother wasn’t asleep, as he had originally thought; wide eyes stared at the wall, focusing on nothing as her chest rose and fell with each breath drawn. Carlos shifted to kneel next to the bed, giving a small smile as Cruella’s eyes were drawn to the movement.

“Hey, mama. I came to visit- how are you doing?” Cruella made no attempt to move, and Carlos pulled the single chair in the room over to sit by her bed. “They didn’t want me to come see you, but I had to make sure you were okay.” He didn’t expect a response; Cruella’s gaze drifted from him for a moment before she spoke, her words softer than he could ever remember her sounding. 

“Hello, Carlos.” His eyes widened at the eerie calmness in her tone; she pushed herself to sit up, folding her hands in her lap as her eyes travelled to the still fading bruises around his throat. Carlos shifted slightly under the scrutiny, licking his lips nervously as he edged slightly back from the woman. “Anita says you’ve been coming to the hospital for therapy. Why haven’t you come to see your mummy in that time? Are you too good for the woman who brought you into this world now, my little poodle?” Carlos shot a look at the door, biting his lip as he caught Anita’s eye before looking back at his mother, the nickname putting him slightly on edge. 

“I wasn’t allowed, mom. The doctors didn’t think it’d be good if I saw you after what happened.” Cruella’s nose wrinkled as she took in the words, and she gestured Carlos to scoot closer to her. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, Carlos. What happened was...unfortunate. And I would like to apologize.” Carlos edged closer, allowing his mother to take his hand in her own as he gave a small nod. “Come a bit closer, let me really see you boy.” Carlos shifted to lean towards her, and Cruella reached out to grasp his chin, pulling him close to her to give him a small, dissatisfied look, her now blunted nails digging into the soft flesh of his jaw. “You’re the reason I’m stuck in this god forsaken room, Carlos. How could you do this to your own mother? My own flesh and blood betraying me, wretched!” Carlos’ eyes widened, and he tried to pull back from Cruella as the door slammed open, pale hands reaching to pull Cruella away from him. 

“Cruella what are you doing? Stop that!” Anita’s words were loud in his ear as the nurse held Cruella away from Carlos, Anita’s hands gripping the teen’s shoulders to pull him from his chair as Cruella let out a harsh, barking laugh.

“Did you think I’d play nice with the mutt, Anita? Look at him, he’s covered in spots, he’d make a lovely coat don’t you think? Wretched thing, just like his father, filthy creature!” Carlos let Anita pull him from the room, his head turning to catch Anya plunging a needle into his mother's arm as she continued to rant about skinning him.

“I should have expected that…” he whispered, his fists clenched at his sides as Anita fussed over the small red crescent marks along his jaw. 

“She’s very ill, Carlos. It’s going to take more than a few weeks before anything changes with her.” Her tone was patronizing, and he hated it; he wasn’t an idiot, nor was he some simpering Auradian who believed in goodness and kindness in everyone. He’d seen the worst the world had to offer on the Isle, and he’d survived- he didn’t appreciate her attempts to coddle him from the realities of his situation. 

“She’s not going to change, Mrs. Radcliffe. Even you should know that.” He barely looked at her as he rubbed his cheek, the tell-tale pressure in his chest alerting him of an oncoming panic attack beginning to spread a numbness up his neck. “Excuse me.’ He shoved past her, ignoring her as she called out to him as he made his way down the hall towards the exit. He clenched his fists at his side, pushing the entry door open with his shoulder as he made a beeline to the carriage that awaited him. He opened the carriage door, sliding onto the seat and bending down to put his head between his legs as he tried to breath through the tight sensation in his chest. He barely noticed the carriage moving, focusing on pulling in as much air as he could as he squeezed his eyes shut. It was stupid, reacting the way he did; his mother had certainly done far worse back on the Isle, he didn’t even have any new injuries from the encounter he’d just had. It was her words that had hit him like a physical blow; her accusation that it was his fault she was there in the hospital hurting more than he had anticipated it would. And her mention of his father…

He had never asked about who his father was. 

He’d never bothered; the rare occasion that his father was brought up in conversation, Cruella had gone off on a rant about useless males with their useless genes, and he had never been curious enough to push the subject with her. He had asked Horace once who he thought his father was, and the rotund man had simply snorted before telling him to go ask Jasper. Jasper had never responded to his question, instead urging Carlos to drop the subject before he learnt something he’d rather not, and Carlos had simply left it at that. But a part of him, the small part that stayed awake for days on end trying to work out complicated problems, couldn’t resist wondering once in awhile who the man was, if he was still alive...if he knew about him. Cruella would never tell him. He knew that much, knew it as well as he knew his own name, his own body. As well as he knew each scar line crossing over his skin, even, and he knew that there was no point pushing the issue. 

It didn’t take long for the carriage to pull up to the school, and Carlos pushed his way out of the interior to rush towards the building, the pressure still building inside of him as he shoved his way past a group of students to head towards the dorms. He started towards his dorm but paused halfway up the stairs; he had promised Jay that he wouldn’t see Cruella without having either Jay or Diego with him, and he had broken that promise. A wave of fear swept over him; he’d broken a promise to Jay and the older teen would be angry with him, would be upset. He spun on his heel, eyes wide as he took in his options, before taking the stairs two at a time to head towards the girls room instead. As he reached the door to Evie and Mal’s room, he hesitated a moment with his fist raised above the wood before bringing it down in three quick knocks. The door opened a moment later, Evie’s confused look dropping quickly into a look of concern as she pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him. 

“Carlos? What’s wrong?” Carlos shook his head, the words sticking in his throat as he gasped for air, his lungs feeling heavy. Evie’s hands hovered over his arms a moment before she grasped them, pulling him towards the bed to guide him gently onto it. “Hey, it’s okay C, you’re safe here. It’s safe, I promise. I’m going to sit beside you, and you lean onto me if you need to. I’ve got you.” Carlos gave a tiny nod as Evie settled onto the bed beside him, turning to press his face into her shoulder as he tried to control the anxious tension thrumming through him. He honestly hadn’t thought seeing his mother would affect him; he didn’t know how he could have been so wrong. Evie’s hand moved to stroke through his hair, soft murmurs of comfort coming from her as she let Carlos rock against her. It took several minutes for him to calm enough to turn his face from her shoulder, his eyes damp and his hands curled into the fabric of her shirt as she pulled away slightly to look at him. “Do you want to tell me what happened, C?” Carlos gave a small nod, pulling away with a sniffle as he rubbed at his eyes. 

“I went to see my mom after my therapy session.” Evie frowned, reaching to rub her thumb against Carlos’ cheek as she waited for him to continue. “They didn’t think I was ready to...guess they were right.” Evie pulled him close, wrapping an arm around him as she gave a small hum. 

“But you had to see her anyways, right?” Her voice was soft, but non-judgemental, and Carlos appreciated it as he sighed against her shoulder. 

“I had to see her. Don’t know why I thought anything would change...she doesn’t care about me.” Evie frowned, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“She doesn’t know what she’s missing. We all care about you here, don’t we Doug?” Carlos’ eyes widened as he sat up properly, noting that Doug was, in fact, seated at Evie’s desk with a small awkward smile. 

“I didn’t want to interrupt, sorry Carlos. Evie’s right though, we do all care about you here. She’s losing out on knowing one incredible guy.” Carlos gave him a small tilt of his lips, sniffling slightly as he nodded. 

“I know. I know that, but it’s still hard not to listen when she says things, she’s my mom.” Doug gave a nod, shifting in his seat slightly as Carlos unfurled from Evie’s side some.

“I understand that, to a small degree. It’s nowhere near as bad as your mom, but my uncle can be...harsh. And it’s hard to not be affected by it when it’s someone everyone tells you should love you unconditionally.” Carlos nodded, and Doug offered him a smile as he turned his seat to face them fully. 

“Your mom...I’m not going to insult your intelligence by saying she doesn’t know what she’s doing when she says things to hurt you, because we both know that’s not true. I think the better thing to realize is the she might not have ever been capable of loving you.” Evie shot Doug a hard look, and Doug raised a hand to placate her before she could speak. “Not because of you. Because of her.” Carlos frowned, shifting against Evie some as he stared at the dwarf-kin. He knew deep down that Cruella was incapable of loving him the way a mother from Auradon might. He knew that she wasn’t wired that way, that her obsession with furs, with Anita had taken up any capacity for love she had...but it still hurt. All of the logic in the world couldn’t stop his heart from aching every time his mother made it abundantly clear that she held no feeling for him besides loathing and contempt. Besides ownership. 

“She doesn’t know how to love...just how to own people. I get that, I’ve known since the gargoy-uh. Since before we got here, but it’s like you said...it’s hard not to be affected by it. Jiminey was probably right that I wasn’t ready to see her…” he chewed his lower lip, and Evie wrapped an arm around him to pull him against her.

“I don’t think I’d be able to force myself to go see my mom, so I’m proud of you for trying, Carlos. I just wish you wouldn’t test your limits alone. One of us could have come with you for support.” Carlos sank in on himself at her words, knowing that she had a point- after what had happened at his cousin’s house, he should have known better than to see his mother alone, but it felt wrong to ask any of his friends to have to witness the encounter as well.

“I know. If I decide to see her again, I’ll wait until Jiminey says it’s okay and I’ll bring someone, I promise.” Evie smiled as Carlos held up his pinky, and the two linked them and turned their heads to fake spit to the side. 

“Good. Now, is there anything else we should discuss while you’re here and I have your attention?” Her eyes sparkled mischievously, and Carlos let out a groan as he realized what she was referring to.

“He still won’t actually call us boyfriend’s, E. He’s insisting we’re, and I quote, ‘partners in crime’.” Evie wrinkled her nose, and Carlos snorted as he shifted slightly to give himself room to flop back onto the bed.

“He does realize that’s completely ridiculous right?” She asked, Doug turning back to the profit analysis he’d been working on before Carlos had arrived. “I mean I understand, the concept of actual boyfriends is weird to him. Neither of you have ever had one before.” There was a moment of silence between them before Evie let out a noise, prodding Carlos’ hip incessantly. “Carlos! Have you had a boyfriend before?” Carlos gave a small shrug, and Evie turned to fix him with a stern look, reaching to pull him upright again. “Spill.” 

Sometimes, Carlos forgot that Evie had spent ten years locked in the Castle Across The Way. Forgot that none of them had been friends, spare Mal and Jay’s tentative arrangement between them, longer than the past year and a half. That no one he was friends with now had really known him until he was thirteen, until after Harry. He hesitated, unsure as to how Evie would react to the information.

“I was with Harry Hook for...almost nine months? I don’t think it could be considered dating though.” He cast a glance at her, taking in the confusion written on her face as she tried to process the news. 

“Harry Hook that you can’t stand and have been avoiding for the past few weeks, that Harry Hook?” Her brows furrowed, and she reached to grasp Carlos’ wrist as he glanced away from her. “C, I’m a little confused.” Carlos sucked in a slow breath, his eyes darting from Evie to Doug. He knew that if he asked the other teen to leave, he would, but eventually everyone in their group of friends would know about his and Harry’s history- there was no point.

“We hooked up when I was twelve. He, uh, approached me with a proposal.” He fell silent for a moment, trying to gather the courage to tell someone who wasn’t Diego exactly what had happened between them. “He’d protect me, and all I had to do was date him. He liked how I looked, I guess, or maybe it was so I’d do his homework at first, I don’t really know. It...really wasn’t that bad, for the most part. He was actually sort of sweet in the beginning? Before Uma started being around them more, he and Gil would hang out with me. They’d keep people from picking on me, and all Harry wanted was affection, kisses and hugs and stuff. He was...Evie, he was nice. No one had ever treated me like I was important before that, beside’s Diego.” His brain ran through all of the times Harry had been downright loving towards him, a dull ache in his chest at the reminder that he’d thought he’d been in love.

“What happened?” Evie’s gaze was steady as she took his hand, lacing their fingers together as she focused on him. He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut as the last few weeks of their relationship filtered through his mind.

“I honestly don’t remember what caused him to start drinking. And it wasn’t just with other kids, E; he’d come back to the treehouse from his dad’s shack absolutely wasted, and it was like he was a completely different person. He would…” he trailed off, brows furrowing some as he focused his gaze on a small stain on Evie’s blanket, willing himself to continue. “He would make me do things even if I said no. I know I should have just avoided him when he was drunk, or just been...better, but my mom had a big breakdown that year, and any time I didn’t spend with Harry was mostly spent in the fur closet.” Evie’s eyes widened slightly, and Carlos licked his lips nervously as he continued. “He held me down twice and just...did what he wanted. Or he’d make me feel bad about saying no, so that I’d give in and not fight him. He never remembered the next day, and I always just told him he was a little rough when he’d ask what was wrong…” he couldn’t look up, couldn’t stand the thought of Evie staring at him. “It wasn’t all bad. It wasn’t. Our good days could be so good, Evie, almost as good as when you guys became my friends. And then my mom found out I was hanging around Pirates and she absolutely lost it. She locked me in the closet for two months with no food and threatened to murder both Harry and Gil if I went near them again. And that was that. A month later you showed up in class.” He chanced a glance at Evie, his hand tightening in hers at the glisten of unshod tears in her eyes. “We’re in Auradon now, and we’re suppose to forgive people. So that’s what I’m trying to do, I’m trying really hard to forgive him for what he did but-“ his voice caught and he rubbed at his eye with his free hand, trying to will away the sudden tightness in his chest, “-it’s really hard to. I’m not good enough yet to just forget it, I still get angry and upset over some of it and I know I shouldn’t. It was almost three years ago..” The was a clatter behind them, and Carlos was startled when the bed dipped and he suddenly found himself pulled into a tight hug. 

“Carlos, you never have to force yourself to forgive someone when they’ve hurt you like that, no matter how long ago it was. Never. And you’re allowed to be angry, or hurt, or sad about what happened to you, because someone forcing you to do anything like that isn’t okay.” Doug’s arms tightened slightly around Carlos, and the younger teen returned the hug a little awkwardly, casting a confused look over the bespeckled teens shoulder at Evie. Evie gave him a concerned look, reaching to place a hand on Doug’s shoulder.

“Doug?” Doug pulled away from Carlos, holding him at arms length as he gave him a serious look, and Carlos swallowed the rest of his question, slightly concerned.

“I just...I know things were different on the Isle, and that Auradon’s different and suppose to be better but I don’t want you to think something like...like…” he took a breath, as though the mere thought of the word was hurting him, “like rape is okay or forgivable, Carlos.” Carlos’ eyes widened and he stared at Doug, his mind whirling at the older boy’s words.

“I...what? He never...Harry never raped me.” Doug’s brow furrowed, and Carlos glanced at Evie, noting the frown crossing her lips. “He never-you can’t rape someone you’re in an arrangement with, that’s-no, Doug.” Doug exchanged a look with Evie before placing his hands on Carlos’s shoulders, waiting for the younger teen to look at him fully before speaking.

“Carlos, did he ever force you to do something sexually you didn’t want to do?” Carlos frowned, hesitating for a moment before giving a small nod. “Did you ever tell him no, but he had intercourse with you anyways?” Again, another small nod, and Evie slipped her hand into his again. “Did he ever physically restrain you and have intercourse with you without your express consent, Carlos.” Carlos let his eyes meet Doug’s, the warm, concerned look in the other boy’s eyes almost too much, and dropped his gaze before responding.

“Yes.” He whispered, feeling ashamed at his words, “Yes, he did all of those things but we were in an arrangement...and he wasn’t in his right mind when it happened. He didn’t mean to.” Doug’s expression softened some, and he shifted to catch Carlos’ gaze again.

“It doesn’t matter if you were in an arrangement, Carlos. If that stuff happened to a married couple, it would still be rape. Even if he was drunk, even if he was the most wonderful, caring prince the rest of the time, it’s still rape if you said no. It’s still rape if he forced you. And it’s not on you to forgive someone who hurt you, who took away your consent. Do you...do you understand that, Carlos? No one gets to touch you, or make you do anything that you aren’t one hundred percent okay with. Even if there’s an agreement, or you’re dating, or you’re just friends. No one gets to do that to you without your permission.” Carlos released Evie’s hand to wrap his arms around himself, letting Doug’s words sink in. Evie’s hand moved to rub his back slowly as she waited for him to say something, offering her companionship without being overwhelming as he tried to sort through his thoughts. 

“I never thought of it that way.” He hadn’t; he had just assumed that his happiness wasn’t included in the protection offered, that he just had to do as the older boy had told him and be satisfied with whatever happened. “I never thought of it as rape. It was just...my side of the deal. I deserved it for wanting protection.” Evie’s hand moved to grasp his shoulder, turning him some to face her. 

“If someone did that to me, or to Jay or Mal, would it be rape? Would we deserve it, to be forced into sexual situations to get protection?” Carlos’ eyes widened slightly, and he glanced from Evie to Doug as he thought about it. If someone had done to Evie what Harry had done to him...he would have killed them. Or tried to; at the very least, he would have told Jay and Mal so that they could injure the person who had hurt his friend. The same applied to both Jay and Mal, and he frowned as the realization set in that what Doug had said was true. 

“I need to go.” He felt dirtier now, with the realization, than he had felt when it’d happened. Evie’s hand remained on his shoulder, keeping him in place, and suddenly it was as though the very thought of being looked at was overwhelming. He shoved her hand off in a panic, nearly leaping from the bed to back towards the door. “I need to...I need to go. I’m sorry.” Both Evie and Doug moved to get off the bed, and Carlos spun on his heel, pushing the door open to dart down the hall. Evie and Doug shared a look, and Evie grabbed her phone as Doug headed towards the door. 

“Call Jay, Evie. I’ll go follow him and let you know where he goes.” Evie nodded, and Doug disappeared out the door as she pulled up Jay’s number and pressed call. 

“Jay? Drop whatever you’re doing, Carlos needs you.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mention of rape in this chapter, but nothing super graphic. Just two people talking about it.

Carlos’ go to places during a panic attack were always the same, for as long as Jay had known him. 

Small enough that people larger than him would have a hard time following him and deep enough to prevent someone from simply grabbing his arm to drag him out. Dark enough that he’d be overlooked at a glance, but with enough light to see if anything was hiding in the dark with him once his eyes adjusted. The first place Jay would typically look for the younger teen during an attack was the closet in their dorm room; it was small and dark and familiar enough that nine times out of ten Carlos darted there to contain his breakdown until he was able to breath easy again. He had been sprawled on the floor of the dorm room when Evie had called him, no sign of Carlos in the entire twenty minutes he’d been there and no sign of him in the hallway outside heading towards their room, so Jay had pulled on his sweater to start off towards Carlos’ second go to place- the small, hidden alcove under the stairway in the main entry hall of the school. They had discovered it during their first week at Auradon Prep, Carlos ducking under the stairs as Chad spouted off at them from down the hall to avoid a confrontation with the blond. Doug had stayed near the stairs, herding students away silently while he waited for Jay, and the long haired teen had nodded his thanks when he’d arrived. The front half of the alcove stored chairs and a small table, and behind it was just enough space for two people to curl up and hide should they need to. 

Or one person, curled into a ball with his hands pulling at his hair as he murmured to himself. 

Jay sighed as he wedged himself into the alcove; Carlos was small enough to fit in easily, but it was a bit of a squeeze for the larger teen as he maneuvered himself around the stack of chairs blocking Carlos from sight. He crouched far enough away that he wasn’t pushing himself into Carlos’ space, watching his companion rock slightly as he murmured the periodic table under his breath. Evie hadn’t specified what had happen- as soon as he’d heard that Carlos needed him, he’d taken off to find the younger teen.

“Carlos? It’s just me, can I come closer?” Jay frowned when no response came, and he reached to lightly touch the smaller teens hands, pulling them from his hair carefully. “Evie called me. Whatever it is, it’s okay C.” Silence settled between them, Carlos’ murmurs petering off before he slowly looked up, wide eyes on Jay.

“Jay.” Jay gave a slow nod, letting out a huff of air as Carlos launched himself at the older teen, burying his face in the boy’s shoulder as he began to ramble, his words muffled by the fabric.

“Hey, I’m right here dude. Do you wanna tell me what happened?” Frankly, Jay was a little out of his element; his usual solution of punching the problem probably wouldn’t suffice if the periodic table had gotten pulled out. Gently wrapping his arms around Carlos, he simply sat waiting for him to speak, giving him time to gather himself.

“Doug says that no means no, even if there’s an arrangement. Is that true?” Jay frowned, pulling back slightly to take a good look at Carlos. Puffy red eyes and pale cheeks greeted him, and his frown deepened more as he thought over Carlos’ question. 

“Doug’s right. No always means no. It’s not an arrangement if you don’t agree to the terms, Carlos. Is-did something happen? Is…” he trailed off, thinking back on their recent time on the Isle. On Diego’s refusal to be anywhere near Harry Hook, on the absolute rage the older teen had settled around him like an aura any time he spotted the pirate in the halls. “Is this...about what Harry did to you that Diego won’t forgive? Because you’ve never talked about it straight up but if he did what I think you’re saying he did then I’ll kill him, Carlos. I swear.” Carlos pressed his face into Jay’s shoulder harder, giving a little hiccup as he gave a small nod, and Jay cursed, wrapping his arms tightly around the smaller teen. 

“I thought I had to just...let him, because of the arrangement. I didn’t...didn’t think I could say no.” Jay’s arms tightened slightly, and he pressed a hesitant kiss to Carlos’ temple before pulling away again.

“Do you want to tell me about what happened, Carlos? I promise nothing you tell me will change what I feel about you.” Carlos focused on the middle of Jay’s chest, taking a few deep breaths before giving a small nod.

“I told Evie about my arrangement with Harry. Doug was there and he said that...um.” He scooted back slightly, curling in on himself some as he grasped his arms, eyes seeking Jay’s in the darkness of the alcove. “Doug said that being forced to have sex when you say no is rape. And that even if there were good parts of the arrangement I don’t have to forgive him for doing that.” Jay nodded, letting Carlos return to his arms to curl in his lap, balling his fists in Jay’s shirt. “I feel dumb.” He rasped, giving a small sniffle. 

“Why do you feel dumb?” Jay asked, shifting them to lean against the wall, arms wrapping around Carlos to pull him closer. Carlos gave a small shrug, tilting his face up to press his nose under Jay’s jaw.

“Because I don’t feel worse about it. I feel mad, and dirty, and I don’t want to be around Harry even if he’s been really nice lately, but I’m not...scared. I wanna…” he hesitated a moment, cheeks reddening as he pulled back some to look at Jay, “I wanna do stuff with you, Jay. Like sex things. And it’s like….shouldn’t I be scared to do stuff like that if what Harry did was rape?” Jay frowned slightly, reaching between them to take Carlos’ hands, kissing his knuckles lightly.

“Who told you that you had to react a certain way?” Carlos frowned at the question, brows furrowed as he considered the question carefully.

“I read about it. There’s a whole textbook in the library about that sort of stuff, in the psychology section. It says that most rape victims reject forming close physical bonds for years after the incident but I never felt like that, not really.” Jay couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him, causing Carlos to give him a confused look.

“Trust you to have read a book about this. Okay, the book says most, right? I assume the book was written here in Auradon.” Carlos nodded, and Jay continued. “So they’ve clearly never met someone from the Isle. We’re kinda wired differently when it comes to trauma, dude.” Carlos gave him a small smile at that, and Jay rubbed his thumbs over the back of Carlos’ hands. “You’re talking about it, which is good. Maybe you should talk to Jiminey about it your next session?” Carlos gave another nod, and Jay reached to cup his cheek gently. “We move at whatever pace works best for the both of us. If that’s slow, that’s ok. If it’s fast, that’s okay to. But I will never make you do something you don’t want to do, dude. Never. I promise.” Carlos turned his face into the hand on his cheek, pressing a kiss to the palm of Jay’s hand before pulling back, shifting to sit beside the older teen.

“I kinda freaked out on Evie and Doug. I should go find them...E is probably worried.” Jay chuckled, leaning slightly to nudge Carlos’ shoulder.

“She’s the one who called me, actually. And I think Doug’s still standing guard out there, if you wanna go talk to him.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Jay helped him crawl out of their hiding spot. Doug stood on the opposite side of the stairs, shifting awkwardly back and forth on his heels as he texted on his phone. Carlos approached him, clearing his throat to gain the boys attention before fixing him with a warm smile. 

“Hey...thanks for staying here and making sure no one bothered me, Doug. I really appreciate it...and I appreciate everything you said to me earlier. I didn’t realize that….that….was what had happened between Harry and I...I’m going to, um, talk to Jiminey about it in my next session, I think.” Doug smiled at him, tucking his phone into his pocket to offer the younger teen a hug, which Carlos accepted readily. 

“Hey, no problem at all. If you ever want to talk about it, you can always come and find me, okay? Part of my job on the student council is a crisis counselor, plus you can talk to me about anything any time you might wanna talk to someone that’s not Jay or Evie or Mal. Okay?” Carlos nodded, burying himself in Doug’s arms with a small chuckle. 

“Okay. Has anyone ever told you that for a skinny kid you give, like, the best hugs? You give squishy hugs, Doug, how is that possible.” Doug laughed, squeezing Carlos before letting go of him, Carlos stepping back from him as Jay watched with a smile of his own at their interaction. 

“Dwarven secret, obviously. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Doug cast a glance at Jay, his smile widening slightly. “Anything Jay can’t do, I mean. Wouldn’t want to take away his job as partner in crime.” Carlos wrinkled his nose, shaking his head as he returned to Jay’s side, sinking against him as Jay wrapped an around around his shoulders. 

“No, it’s okay. I think I should go talk to Diego...and maybe Harry.” Doug frowned slightly, and Carlos held up a hand to stop any argument from forthcoming. “I know that it’s probably not the best to dive right into this but...I have to do this or else I’m going to have a panic attack every time I see him. And as...awful...and terrible as what happened was, I…” he trailed off a moment, face screwed up as he tried to figure out the words he wanted. “I can’t send someone back to the Isle. Not when...he’s actively apologized, and I think he was sincere about it. I don’t really want to forgive him, and even though I told him I’d try to forgive him I don’t...I don’t think I can? Not after all this information? But I won’t ask for him to be sent back to the Isle either. I can’t ask for that. I’d be worse than he is if I did that, no one should have to live there and…” Jay turned Carlos to look at him, pressing a firm kiss to the boys lips to keep him from rambling himself into hyperventilating. 

“It’s okay, Carlos. You don’t have to justify your decisions or what you want to do. If anyone makes a fuss over it I’ll beat them up. Okay?” Carlos gave a half smile, and Doug reached out to pat Carlos’ shoulder lightly. 

“Jay’s right. You have to make the best decision for you. If you need me, just text me okay? I have band later but my friend needing me is totally more important.” Carlos gave him a grateful look, and Doug nodded towards the stairs to the dorms. “I’m going to go back to Evie now, I’ll let her know you’re okay?” Carlos nodded, and Doug gave them a small wave before heading up the stairs, leaving them alone. 

“Are you sure you want to talk to Diego and Harry today? We can wait a bit, it’s not going to change anything if we wait.” Carlos glanced at Jay at his words, giving the older boy a warm smile as he leant to kiss the corner of his mouth. 

“I want to get it done and over with. Diego is probably in the music atrium, and he’ll probably be the less draining of the two to deal with.” Jay nodded, and Carlos turned to head towards the atrium, his hand slipping into Jays as they walked. 

“You just let me know if he gets too overwhelming and I’ll get us out of there, okay? Your cousin can be freaking intense sometimes.” Carlos chuckled, squeezing Jay’s hand as the older boy grumbled at his boyfriend’s reaction to his words. “I’ll beat up Diego if I have to. With his own guitar. Tragedy would befall all of Auradon, and I’d probably get mauled by fangirls, but it would be worth it to rescue you.” Carlos’ chuckle turned into a full out laugh, and Jay grinned in victory as they turned down one of the halls. 

“You are such a dork.” Carlos teased, nudging Jay as they continue to walk. Jay gave a shrug, grinning widely as he swung their arms between them, his fingers laced with Carlos. 

“Yeah but I’m your dork. You picked me.” Rolling his eyes, Carlos couldn’t help but smile wider as Jay gave a hum of contentment between them. 

“Thank you for being so understanding about...everything, Jay. This, my mom, this whole….everything. Thank you for leaving with me in the middle of the night when I thought I was going crazy.” Jay paused at the serious tone of Carlos’ voice, moving to stand in front of the younger boy as Carlos gazed at him. 

“Any time, C. Seriously, I’d...do anything for you. You gotta know that by now.” Carlos blushed, nodding as Jay squeezed his hand tightly. “Hey, I know I said that boyfriends was too Auradonian of a label but...if it’s with you, I’m okay being a boyfriend. You know? You make me wanna be a better me, and no one else really makes me feel that way. I don’t think I’d have made it here without stealing a bunch and getting sent back to the Isle if you weren’t here with me. So...thank you, Carlos de Vil, for being my rock. My incredibly sexy rock, who might I add needs to stop climbing into my bed in nothing but his boxers if he doesn’t want me to ravish him.” Carlos snorted, swatting at Jay’s chest as they moved to continue walking. 

“Oh don’t act like you don’t actually love it when I crawl into bed with you. Five seconds after I get in, it’s like an octopus’ latched onto me.” Jay beamed, and Carlos laughed. 

“You’re nice and cold! It’s like a cool breeze but one with a nice butt and an urge to cuddle. How can I be mad at that. How.” Carlos snorted as Jay lead them down the next hall, the soft sounds of a guitar greeting them from the room at the far end. “Sounds like he’s there.” Carlos nodded as he moved to the door, peering in at his cousin before giving a sharp knock, waving as Diego looked up at him. Diego put his guitar down, gesturing them in, and Carlos pushed open the door to give him cousin a small smile. 

“Hey, D. Do you have a few minutes?” Diego glanced from Carlos, shifting almost nervously from foot to foot, to Jay’s serious face, and nodded, gesturing for them to pull of two of the chairs lining the wall of the sound room. 

“Always for my favourite cousin. What’s up?” Carlos hesitated a moment, glancing from Diego’s now concerned face to Jay, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Clearing his throat, Carlos shifted to the edge of his seat, his leg jittering as he took a few calming breaths before looking up at Diego, licking his lips nervously. 

“We need to talk about what happened between me and Harry.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! There's only the epilogue left! I feel like this story has gone on forever, it's going to be weird not to write it anymore. I really hope you all enjoyed it, and of course I'll have more Descendant's stories for you to read- Wednesday's Child is almost done, but I have it's sequel already started and I will also be getting reading to write a Jay & Mal vs Evie & Carlos fic as well! 
> 
> This chapter touches on rape recovery, though like in real life recovery is different for every person. The way he handles the situation stems from his life experiences, and is in no way a reflection of how every person should deal with trauma.

Diego frowned, glancing from Carlos to Jay and back again. “We have talked about this, C. And every time we do, you ignore that what he did to you was-”

“Rape. Harry Hook raped me. I...understand that now, Diego.” Carlos shifted slightly, his mind racing with the information Doug had provided him. “I’m not sure he understands that what he did was rape, but I do. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before.” Diego’s frown softened, and he reached out to take his cousin’s hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“I know you never really had the whole consent talk with Aunt Ella, C. And, let’s face it, consent wasn’t much of a thing on the Isle. Dad was always really adamant about it with me- he’s still pretty old world Auradon with his mentality of treat a gal classy and all that because of mom, she never took shit from him and he thought she hung the moon- but I think he’s one of the only people on the Isle that cares about consent…” Carlos gave a small nod, and Diego smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re coming to terms with it, I guess. If there’s anything I can do to help you work through this, let me know and I’ll do it. “ Carlos thought for a moment before clearing his throat, giving his cousin a stern look. 

“Stop engaging with him. No more fights between classes, no more nasty notes in his locker, no more ridiculous rivalry. I need you to stop putting your energy into protecting me from something that’s already happened, Diego.” Diego frowned, hand tightening of Carlos’ a moment as the younger teen continued speaking. “I can’t focus on going to therapy and magic classes and getting better if I’m constantly worrying about you getting expelled and sent back to the Isle D. I know I can’t ask you to forgive him. I don’t think I can fully forgive him myself. But it’s been three years and I want to let it go, I wanna enjoy being with Jay and having you here without worrying that you might start a fist fight with Harry outside of Goodness 101. Okay?” Diego flushed slightly at the call-out, giving Carlos a nod as the younger boy released his hand to lean back in his seat again. 

“I’ll try my best, Carlos. I can’t promise we’re going to become like...nice to each other or anything, but I can try to be civil at least.” Carlos shot him a small smile.

“That’s pretty much all I’m asking dude.” Settling back in his chair, Carlos took a deep breath, preparing himself for his next sentence. “I’m going to talk to Harry about this too. I know he starts just as many fights as you do, and I might not know how I feel about him right now, but I do know I don’t want him sent to the Isle again for fighting.” Diego frowned, and Carlos shrugged. “Harry’s got issues but...I think Auradon can help him. I think some of the people here can really help all of us, you know?” Diego gave a small nod, and Carlos moved to stand, reaching to pat his cousin’s arm. “Including you, dude. Have you thought about seeing Jiminey like I suggested?” Diego groaned, slumping in his chair as Jay smirked at him.

“Man, I do not want to talk to some therapist, C. There’s nothing wrong with me.” Carlos frowned at his cousin’s words, though it was Jay who spoke up.

“It’s really helped me, talking to Coah about things. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with me either, but...it helped me deal with shit that went back on the Isle, and with shit that happened to other people.” The ex-thief gave a pointed look at Carlos, and Diego sighed as he ran his hands over his face.

“Fine, I’ll talk to someone, alright?” Carlos beamed at Jay, mouthing ‘thank you’ at his boyfriend before nodding to his cousin, visibly pleased.

“Well good. Are you still meeting us for breakfast tomorrow?” Diego nodded, and Carlos shoved his hands into his pocket with a grin. “Cool. Okay, I’m gunna go find Harry now? But uh.” He hesitated a minute before giving Diego a wide, grateful smile. “I love you, D. I’m really glad you’re here now.” Diego grinned, leaning forward in his seat to pull Carlostowards him, hugging him around his middle.

“I love you too, you dork. I’ll see you later okay?” Carlos nodded, and Diego let him go, waving the two younger teens out the door. Jay slipped an arm around Carlos’ shoulders, tugging him close as they started off down the hall.

“You know if I didn’t know you were cousin’s I’d be worried, C.” Jay teased, and Carlos rolled his eyes, punching Jay’s side lightly as they walked.

“Jay. Ugh.” Jay snickered, and Carlos wrinkled his nose as he leant into Jay’s side some. “I think I want to talk to Harry alone, Jay.” Jacks expression grew more serious as they turned a corner, and Carlos worried his lower lip as Jay stiffened slightly before relaxing.

“Are you sure?” Giving a nod, Carlos watched Jay’s face carefully as a look of mild frustration washed over him before disappearing, replaced with a tired look of understanding. “I get wanting to do it yourself, C. I just...I don’t want him to hurt you more somehow, you get that right?” Carlos nodded again, and Jay gave a sigh. “But I mean...it’s your decision to do it on your own. You’re a strong guy, I know that. Do you want me to stay nearby just in case?” Thinking on it a moment, Carlos shook his head, stopping their walk to take Jay’s face in his hands to press a gentle kiss to his lips. 

“I’ll be okay. Why don’t you head up to the room and finish your homework and when I get back we can take Dude on a walk?” Jay nodded, and Carlos squeezed his cheeks with a smirk before releasing him with another quick kiss. 

“Alright. If you’re not back in an hour, I’m giving Dude your supper though.” Carlos whined, swatting at Jay, who ducked away with a laugh to head towards the dorms. Running a hand through his hair, Carlos pulled out his phone, pulling up Harry’s number (Ben had insisted that all VKs received phones upon arrival in Auradon) to text a quick ‘where are you? We need to talk. Alone.’ to the ex-pirate. Texting him a location, he slipped his phone into his pocket and headed towards the cafeteria to pick up a few things.

This wasn’t going to be an easy talk, he suspected.

-=-=-

“What did you want to talk about, Pu-er. Carlos?” 

Carlos glanced up from the sandwich he’d been putting together as Harry approached the bleachers that the younger teen sat upon. The older teen head his backpack over one shoulder, brow quirked as he slung it down on the ground to settle beside Carlos on the bleachers seat. 

“Us. What happened back on the Isle, before. Doug, uhm.” He paused, offering Harry the sandwich before picking up the one he had made before Harry’s arrival to take a bite, chewing thoughtfully before he continued speaking. “Doug told me some things that I think neither of us knew before that changes the definition of what happened between us. And I think we really need to talk about it.” Harry frowned, staring at his sandwich for a long moment before taking a bite, the two sitting in silence while they ate. 

“And what wisdom did the nerdling impart on you to make you want to dredge up the past?” Harry’s tone held bitterness, and Carlos dusted his hands off before folding them in his lap, fixing Harry with a look. 

“Forcing someone to do something they don’t want to, in any manner that could be considered sexual? That’s rape. And I don’t have to let anyone touch me if I don’t want them to.” Silence settled over them for a moment at Carlos’ words, softly spoken as he stared at Harry, and the older teen frowned as he glared at the bit of sandwich left in his hand. 

“Did you not want me to do the things I did to you?” The question was almost too quiet to hear, as though Harry was scared to learn the answer, and Carlos frowned as he thought it over. 

“Not...all of it. You never listened to me when I said no, Harry. Not once. And especially when you had been drinking.” Harry glanced up, eyes wide as Carlos licked his lips nervously. “I know that you’ve stopped drinking for the most part now, after...that last time. And I know that on the Isle, it’s different. There’s not a lot of talk about consent or even relationships, and we had no idea what we were doing. And I wanted to forgive you for everything because that’s what Fairy Godmother says good people do, but...but Doug says I don’t have to, ever, not if I don’t want to. Because what you did wasn’t okay, and it’s okay that I’m not okay with that. But I also know that you didn’t really realize what you were doing was wrong. Because we aren’t taught better on the Isle, and because you’re trying to fix things now. And I’m proud of you, Harry…” He reached out to lightly touch the older teen’s hand, giving him a quirk of his lips. “You’re trying really hard to get things right here, and I’m proud of you for that. For realizing that you’ve done wrong. But I need you to realize exactly what it is that happened, Harry. For both of us, if we’re going to move past this. Do you get that?” Harry gave a nod, lips still pulled into a frown as he picked at the bread of his sandwich. 

“I understand what you’re trying to say, I think. You can’t head out of port if you’re still tied to dock, yeah?” Carlos chuckled, patting Harry’s arm before retracting his hand, tucking it into his lap once more. 

“That’s one extremely nautical way of putting it, I guess. I guess I just need to know that you recognize that what we had together, it wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t a relationship, it wasn’t something either of us should hold onto or aspire to have again. And you have anger issues, Harry. You’ve gotten a bit better with it but you still lash out at people, and I get that it’s because of your dad and stuff but you need to see someone, talk to someone about it before you do something to push Gil away, before you hurt him like you did me. You know?” Harry nodded, eyes still not meeting Carlos, and gave a small sigh as he set the remaining bit of sandwich down to turn and face Carlos properly. 

“I really did care about you, Carlos. Still do. You’re one of the only people to ever stop and ask me if I was okay, to try and...and see beyond the pirate swag and the like. You were the first person to try and teach me to be better than what my father wanted me to be, and I never meant to hurt you the way I did. I just...I get angry sometimes and I don’t know how to let it out, and then I hurt people. And I know now that it’s not healthy. Gil’s been patient about it, and I know that a lot of my anger now comes from Uma being gone, but...I know that what I did to you, that wasn’t right. I do know that now. And I get why your cousin doesn’t want you to be alone with me, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I’m glad you’re willing to sit with me and talk about it.” He glanced up, giving Carlos a small smile as he shrugged helplessly. “I’m open to suggestions, if you have any. I don’t think I’ll ever be a good person like these floofy princes and princesses here in Auradon, but I can at least work on being a less shitty version of myself.” Carlos snorted, leaning to give Harry’s shoulder a small shove as he shook his head. 

“I don’t think any of us VK’s are going to be good like the people here in Auradon, but...I think that’s okay. Jiminey says our experiences make us who we are, and that we should be proud of the things we’ve survived and the people who shaped us instead of ashamed that we aren’t like the people here...and I agree with him. We wouldn’t be the people we are today if the past hadn’t happened the way it had. Yeah, shitty things happened. You’ve done shitty things, I’ve done shitty things….but in the end, we’re able to sit down and discuss it like adults, which I don’t think someone from Auradon would be able to do. We’re taught that we should want people to hurt, that good is bad and bad is good, but I don’t think any of us really lived by our parents expectations in the end. We’re not our parents, we’re capable of good and so long as we’re trying I think that’s the important part. I want to be friends with you, Harry. We have a lot of history together, good and bad, and I’d hate to lose that. And I know that you’re trying to change, but I think that if we’re going to try to be friends, you’re going to have to talk to someone. Maybe Jiminey? He’s been really helpful to me, and I think he’ll be helpful for you too.” Harry took in the hopeful look, his lips tilting into a smile as he gave a small nod. 

“I’ll think about it, at least.” Carlos nodded, and the two sat silently for a long moment before Harry cleared his throat, shifting a bit closer to the younger teen. “Jay’s been treating you well then? No nonsense with him, he hasn’t been flirting with the girls or any of that?” Carlos chuckled at the underlying worry in the pirates tone, and he gestured for Harry to finish his sandwich as he leant back against the seats behind him. 

“Jay’s been fantastic, actually. I don’t know what he see’s in me, but apparently he likes it a lot because he’s been nothing but kind and loving. It’s sort of weird?” He tilted his head back, giving a hum as Harry stuffed the last of his food into his mouth. “Like, Jay’s a jerk sometimes, that’s just how he is, and stuff hasn’t really changed a whole lot except he’s a bit more open with his protectiveness and the whole making out thing.” He blushed slightly, and Harry gave a snort as he joined Carlos in leaning back, eyes wandering the clouds above them. 

“That’s good. That he’s been good to you, I mean. You deserve it, Pup.” Carlos hummed, and the two remained like that for several minutes, watching the clouds drift by as they simply sat enjoying the calm between them. 

“I should head back to the dorm room soon, actually. I promised Jay that I’d be back in time for dinner.” Carlos stated, sitting back up after nearly ten minutes. Harry pulled himself up, eyes on Carlos as the younger teen moved to clean up the sandwich items to put back into the bag he’d brought them in. Harry moved to help, and stood once they were done. 

“Are we...going to be okay?” The older teen asked, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as Carlos moved to step down the bleachers. Carlos paused, casting a glance at Harry before smiling at him, giving a small shrug. 

“I think we will be. Eventually. For now….civility? And stop picking fights with Diego, please. I’ve already talked to him, but it’s a lot harder for me to want to forgive you if you’re constantly harassing my cousin, Hook.” Harry grinned, taking a step down as well. 

“I will do my best to leave the whelp alone. For you.” Carlos snorted, giving Harry a small shove before heading off towards the dorms, turning to call over his shoulder with a small wave. 

“I’ll take what I can get.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end! Thanks for sticking with me on this wild ride, and keep an eye out for more fics!

Epilouge:

“How is she?”

Jiminey gave a hum as he glanced over the edge of his notebook, taking in the nervous tapping of Carlos’ fingers against the arm of the chair he sat in. The teens wounds had healed nicely with the help of Fairy Godmother's magic, the scars minimal unless you looked closely. 

“She’s being moved from solitary in a few days. Once she’s set in an established routine, you can visit her if you like. You aren’t obligated to, if you feel you don’t want to see her either.” Carlos gave a nod, his nails momentarily digging into the soft cushion of the armrest before releasing his grip.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” Jiminey nodded, and Carlos watched as the cricket made his way back to his notebook, studying it a moment before clearing his throat.

“How are your magic lessons coming along?” Carlos gave a bored shrug, knowing that FG had been keeping Jiminey updated on his progress.

“Fine. I’ve mostly got it under control now. It’s not like I can do more than hear what people are saying anyways, I don’t know why everyone’s so concerned about it. I can’t read minds or anything.” He supposed it could be a dangerous magic to haven’t there was a war, or if he was trying to learn state secrets, but he could only really hear a few people, and he doubted his cousin was about to host a revolution.

“It’s important to have control over any magic you have, no matter how small it seems to be. For all we know the barrier’s feedback opened an untapped vein of magic in the de Vil line that we had no idea existed. Better to err on the side of caution.” Carlos made a face, and Jiminey tilted his head slightly to watch the teen sink in his seat some. “How are things with Jay, Harry and Diego?” Carlos groaned- he had known the question was coming, but he never wanted to talk about them. 

“Harry and Gil are getting ready to go to the Naval Academy. Harry’s doing….okay. I think your sessions with him are helping a lot? Diego’s still insisting that he doesn't need to finish school- I’m pretty sure the only thing keeping him here is Ben promising him a gig for the end of the year ceremony. Jay is...well, he’s Jay. He’s fantastic and awful all at the same time.” He smiled, glancing down at his hands as he thought on his boyfriend. “He hasn’t changed with us dating, which is...it’s comforting. I’m happy.” Jiminey nodded, and Carlos gave a small shrug. “I’m honestly doing okay with everyone. My nightmares are getting better, I’m all caught up in my classes and my boyfriend and my cousin are taking me out for dinner when I leave here. All in all, I’m doing pretty good right now.” He offered the therapist a smile, which Jiminey nodded at.

“Just remember, recovery is a process. Relapses happen and they’re a normal part of the recovery process.” Carlos nodded, and Jiminey gestured towards the door. “I think that’s about it for today. We’ll set the next session for three weeks, see where you’re at then.” Carlos nodded again, getting up from his seat to leave after arranging his next session. Outside, Jay and Diego sat at one of the picnic tables lining the front area of the hospital, and the younger teen dropping his hands over Jay’s eyes as he smirked at Diego. 

“Let’s go get some food!” He exclaimed, causing Jay to laugh as he pulled the hands down to trap them against his chest, turning slightly to look up at Carlos. Carlos grinned, leaning to press a kiss to the older teen’s lips before Diego let out a groan, standing from the table.

“Gross. No one wants to see that.” Jay flipped him off as he stood, slipping a hand into Carlos’ as the trio began to walk down the drive. 

“Everyone wants to see it, we’re hot. Do we want to hit up Mrs. Potts for supper?” The two older boys began to discuss meal options, and Carlos took a moment to appreciate the two teens on either side of him. They had gone out of their way to protect him, to make sure he was happy…

And he was.


End file.
